How do consumers view and understand the food system, and balance their choices against multiple competing factors (including safety and standards, nutrition and health, choice, availability, affordability, sustainability, and welfare)?
The FSA is committed to being guided by the consumer interest in the food system. This Area of Research Interest (ARI) explores and articulates consumer concerns, needs and wider interests in the food system, including around affordability, safety, health, sustainability, food waste, and welfare. Under this ARI, the FSA will build on its understanding of the public’s views, needs and priorities in relation to food.
The major aims of this ARI include:
- Amplifying the consumer voice in food policy in the FSA and across Government to fulfil our role as a regulator who is guided by consumers.
- Broadening the scope of our evidence gathering to include wider interests of consumers, in order to ensure that food policy includes the consumer perspective.
This ARI will provide evidence on a range of issues; in particular it will explore wider interests the public see critical in shaping their food choices and lives such as household food insecurity, health and nutrition, environment and ethics, price, quality and convenience and potential food futures, and support wider efforts on healthy sustainable diet shifts.
These issues cut across the FSA’s vision and mission. We need to understand how these issues will affect our ability to ensure that food is safe, food is what it says it is and that food is healthier and more sustainable.
Pwysig