Impact of the global food crisis
UK Consumer research reveals increased appreciation of science in agricultural production
Consumers increasingly appreciate that scientific advances should be applied to help boost agricultural production and keep food costs down.
They want the UK to become more self-sufficient in food production, and believe the Government should take the lead in using science to maintain a reliable supply of high quality, affordable food.
Those are among the headline findings of recent consumer research summarised in a new booklet entitled 'Impact of the Global Food Crisis: Changing Attitudes among UK Shoppers' issued this week by the Crop Protection Association (CPA) (UK), and available for view and download at the end of this article.
The research, carried out by independent market research agency Network Research, was commissioned by CPA to help understand the impact of rising food prices and food security concerns on UK food shoppers.
The results are in line with the latest consumer panel reports from Which? and the Food Standards Agency, which highlight food price inflation as the single biggest concern among food shoppers today.
“It is clear that rising food prices are driving major changes in people’s attitudes to food and how it is produced,” said CPA chief executive Dominic Dyer.
“Consumers are becoming more informed and concerned about the global factors affecting food prices and availability, and the majority now see a positive role for science and technology in maintaining a safe, secure and affordable food supply,” he said.
The implications of this research will be discussed with politicians, scientists and food chain stakeholders at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture next month, hosted by George Freeman MP.
The meeting, which takes place at Westminster on 14th September, will also include a presentation by Fiona Fox, director of the Science Media Centre, focusing on how increased food security concerns are changing the way agricultural science is treated in the media.
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