Providing Consumer Information For Farmers

The Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food identified a lack of co-ordination in the UK food chain and stressed the need for farmers to be 'reconnected' with consumers.

The Government's strategy for sustainable food and farming calls on more farmers and food manufacturers to break out of the commodity trap, differentiate and add value in pursuit of sustainable competitive advantage. Thus, the access to relevant consumer information - purchasing behaviour, consumption behaviour, attitudes, perceptions and preferences - is critical if this strategy is to succeed and farmers are to become more responsive to the market needs and opportunities.

Between 2003 and 2007 the Food Chain Centre ran a project entitled 'Best Practice Hub' that had wide ranging objectives one of which was promoting greater usage of consumer information by farmers, farmer controlled businesses (FCBs) and small food producers (SFPs).

In the project we aimed to:

• Explore the nature of consumer information and how it might be used by farmers in different decision-making contexts
• Understand farmers. attitudes towards consumer information and the level of interest in receiving more of it in different forms
• Understand what practical use can be made of consumer information by farmers
• Find the best ways to communicate and deliver consumer information
• Develop a mechanism through which farmers and small food businesses could access this information on a long-term sustainable basis

BUSINESS AREA:
Differentiation