EIT Food Consumer Trust Grand Challenge
This three years consumer-focused project (2019 – 2022) will work with consumers, food companies and other stakeholders (industry bodies, non-governmental organisations, regulatory authorities and policy makers, media) across 6 countries in Europe and Israel to co-create and implement selected measures undertaken by food companies, food industry and others to engender both greater consumer trust in food and greater support for food companies and other food chain actors.
It will provide forums and a platform to allow consumers to voice their concerns and wishes regarding trust in the food they eat and in the companies and others involved in the provision of that food. These forums and platform will enable consumers and food industry representatives to directly debate those issues and to explore co-design of a series of initiatives for food companies to implement according to consumers’ needs which will both increase their trust in food and their support for the companies and organisations involved.
The project will make use of previous and current work on consumer trust within EIT Food (e.g. from TrustTracker®) and external to it and learn from food-related consumer conversations across social media. Lessons learnt will be communicated widely and successful initiatives (as assessed by consumers) will be publicized and rolled out by food companies and organisations more widely. Consumers will drive the process at each stage, from voicing concerns and co-design of initiatives to evaluation of success.
The concept
- all actors across the food value chain working together to co-create initiatives that increase consumer trust in food
- engagement with consumers, food companies and other stakeholders (such as industry bodies, non-governmental organisations, regulatory authorities, policy makers and the media) across five countries in Europe and Israel
The platform
The project will provide a platform for dialogue to enable consumers to voice their needs and concerns regarding trust in the food they eat, and in companies and others involved in the provision of food. The platform will enable consumers and food industry representatives to directly debate important issues related to trust in food and to co-design a series of initiatives which will both increase consumers’ trust in food and their support for the companies and organisations involved.
Co-designing trust initiatives
Insights gained from the project will be communicated widely, and successful initiatives will be publicised and implemented. Importantly, consumers will drive the project at each stage from voicing their needs, to the co-design of initiatives and evaluation of their success.
