Scottish people's priorities and preferences for food safety information

Abstract

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is an independent public sector food body working for consumers in Scotland. The organisation ensures that information and advice on food safety and standards, nutrition and labelling is independent, consistent, evidence-based and consumer-focused. For communication to be effective, an understanding of the target audience’s knowledge, behaviours and attitudes is essential. In order to fulfil its primary role of consumer protection, FSS undertakes a broad range of consumer research and audience segmentation to augment this understanding. To add to this body of evidence, this research was undertaken by the University of Stirling in 2017, co-funded by FSS, and sought to identify: • What food safety issues the public prioritises • What types of information individuals feel would influence their food handling behaviour • Where the public claim that they would like to hear more food safety issues This briefing summarises the findings of that study, focusing on consumer opinions, attitudes and preferences for information sources on food-related issues. The findings contribute to the existing body of evidence on consumers in Scotland’s preferences for food safety information and where to access such information. This evidence can be used when raising awareness about food safety so that it not only increases the reach of information but also encourages the adoption of safer practices.