EIT Food TRUSTCHAIN

Context

Various consumer surveys have reported on a lack of consumer trust in the food supply chain. For example, the European Consumer Organisation (2018) survey of European consumers found widespread distrust of food labelling, with over 80% of consumers in some countries not trusting the information provided.

Trust is key to consumer adoption of innovations enabling healthier and more sustainable food consumption, and links strongly with UN sustainable development goals, particularly in relation to industry innovation and infrastructure to improve health and well-being, supporting strong institutions and sustainable communities, and promoting responsible consumption and social justice. Consumer trust is also key to the competiveness of food companies and their brand values.

Objective

The ultimate aim of the project is to engender greater consumer trust in food, the food supply chain and its actors, and to increase support for food organizations and their activities.

Outcomes

The outcome will be

1. the provision of a sustainable platform for continued consumer and food industry communication and engagement
2. a comprehensive profiling of consumers concerns and wants in relation to trust, together with a mapping of food industry and broader stakeholder perspectives
3. consumer centric co-design of innovative but practical ways of increasing consumer trust and support across the food chain
4. uptake and implementation of these measures by a range of food organizations across 6 countries in Europe and Israel
5. comprehensive evaluation of their success
6. communication of lessons learnt and successes through case study narratives and messaging and
7. roll out of successful interventions more widely across food industry.

Benefits

The benefits will include:

• enhanced engagement and communication between consumers and food industry beyond that currently achieved
• a series of innovative, practical, consumer-driven interventions to improve consumer trust and support of food industry.