LONDON - British consumers increasingly take animal welfare into account in food purchases, but they don't want to know the gory details, a report said on Tuesday.

A chef at a London restaurant in a file photo. [Reuters]

"We are a nation of animal lovers and concerns over welfare standards are helping to shape the content of our shopping baskets," Julie Starck, senior consultant with international food and grocery research body IGD, said in a statement.

The IGD's report showed that 64 percent of consumers have considered animal welfare when buying food, although only 10 percent claimed they buy all higher welfare foods.

The research found increased interest among consumers in the food they eat and how it was produced, a trend that also has sparked rising demand for organic and fairtrade products.

"Food has begun to provide an emotional as well as functional role in consumers' lives," the report said.

The IGD research was sponsored by Freedom Food, a food labeling scheme aimed at improving animal welfare standards which has been set up by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The report noted that many consumers felt guilt about eating meat and were reluctant to explore welfare issues.

"As consumers deliberately reject information on animal welfare due to the emotional response it provokes, it will be difficult to raise awareness of the issue, particularly at the point of purchase," the report said.

The report also linked the growth in demand to rising affluence among consumers.

"A strategy must be developed to ensure that current purchasers maintain their support even if an economic downturn results in lower levels of disposable income," the report said.