Food fundamentals report

Thursday 20 March 2003

COI Communications commissioned qualitative research on behalf of the Food Standards Agency to explore public perceptions of some of the fundamental issues in food purchase and consumption.

The aim was to understand different attitudes and approaches towards food, food trends and reactions to these, food scares and what triggers these; and to explore what role the FSA could play in reassuring and informing the public with regard to food safety

There were three broad areas of interest:

• food choices: what informs them and what is the cultural context which impacts on choice - advertising, peer groups, family, lifestyle, food trends, concerns about food safety, food scares, other?
• food safety scares: how do consumers respond to scares, what are the triggers which prompt concerns and what particular concerns do people have? How do people react to specific messages about safety scares, and to messages of uncertainty? How does honest uncertainty stand up against reassurance that overpromises? Whom do people trust to inform them about safety scares?
• How can the FSA best manage concerns about food, particularly safety scares? How can it deal with uncertainties about food safety? How should it communicate with the public? Whom should it be targeting?