Contact
Kolbrún Sveinsdóttir
Project Manager
kolbrun.sveinsdottir@matis.is
People are increasingly moving away from the primary production of food, and the connection to raw materials and their processing is often unclear. Young people are the consumers of the future. Their attitude and trust in food is therefore of great importance to food manufacturers. The needs and values of young people are not necessarily the same as those of older people. The goal of the WeValueFood project was to find ways to increase the understanding and knowledge of young people so that they understand the values and values of food and become more aware of food in a wider context.
Three workshops were organized by Matís, where university students and the Icelandic food industry were brought together. The workshops focused on current communication patterns and the industry's provision of information to consumers, and the goal was to support the food industry's communication with consumers of the future. Various food companies and stakeholders came to the workshops and worked with young consumers to define food values and have a conversation about communication channels. Emphasis was placed on increasing interest and knowledge of food in order to promote the following generations to make rational and informed decisions in their food choices. The three workshops took place online in the fall of 2020: 1) With university students – to explore their food values and opinion on current food industry communication channels, 2) With participants from the food industry – to explore how they experience the next generation of consumers and how the food industry can support education/knowledge and participation in food-related issues and 3) With university students and participants from the food industry – to introduce food industry ideas and communication channels, and explore student responses.
The students placed great emphasis on environmental impact, as transparency and honesty are key factors for a positive image and trust in food producers. Young people want to know more about how food is produced and, no less, what is involved in the production process. They wanted to see more about how food is produced in Iceland, either on social media, on the websites of food companies or through food labels. What young people called for included verified information on everything from origin to cooking and storage instructions. Emphasis was placed on the fact that the information had to be confirmed by neutral parties such as scientists. Participants from the food industry were generally aware of the needs of young people in terms of information and means of communication, but often had difficulty meeting these needs due to costs and time. The food industry called for a partnership with the authorities to address the knowledge and education needs of young people to ensure adequate and scientifically proven information is available to all. One of the solutions proposed by the industry participants could easily respond to the needs of young people for specific food knowledge, which at the same time could contribute to increased interest and participation of young people. This solution involved a food science website, which would be managed by independent bodies, such as universities, to share scientifically proven information without conflicts of interest. The workshops created an interesting conversation between the students and the food producer, which provided important insights for both consumers and the food industry. It is important to follow the workshops and strengthen the dialogue and flow of information between consumers and producers in order to meet the needs of the consumers of the future.
WeValueFood was funded by the European Union through EIT Food. In addition to Matís and the University of Iceland, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the IMDEA Food Institute in Spain, EUFIC in Belgium, Koppert in the Netherlands, the University of Cambridge and the University of Reading in the UK, the University of Helsinki in Finland, the University of Turin in Italy, the University of Warsaw in Poland and Flatev in Switzerland for the project. The project as a whole was led by the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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Food consumption trends have increased the gap between primary food production. The proximity to production of raw materials and food processing has become more unclear to many consumers. Young people are the consumers of the future. Their attitude towards food is therefore important to food producers. Their needs and values are not necessarily the same as those of older consumers. The aim of the WeValueFood project was to find ways to increase the understanding and strengthen young people's knowledge and understanding so that they better appreciate the values of food and become more aware of food in a wider context.
Three online workshops on food values of next generation consumers (NGCs) were carried out in Iceland in the autumn of 2020, by Matis in collaboration with the University of Iceland. The communication between university students of various study categories and food industry was explored within the three workshops: 1) With students – to assess their food values and opinions on the current food industry communication; 2) With industry participants – to understand how they perceive the NGCs and how they can help to educate and engage them with food; 3) With students and industry – to present industry's ideas of communication and receive student feedback on industries' communication strategies.
The students emphasized the environmental impact of foods, transparency, and honesty in communication for a positive image of and trust in food producers. They wanted to know more about how food is made, either on social media or food industry websites, or with food labels. Emphasis was placed on information about everything from origin and environmental labels to cooking and storage guidelines. Not less important, the information needed to be verified by a responsible independent third party, such as scientists. The food industry participants were generally aware of NGC's information needs and communication channels, but struggled to meet these needs, mainly due to cost and time. The food industry needs cooperation with authorities to educate the next generation on food related issues, to fulfill the NGC needs for knowledge, with scientifically valid and trustworthy information available for everyone. One of the idea pitches from the industry summarized the overall need for knowledge and communication, both for the food industry and NGC that could improve food involvement and engagement. The pitch was about a food science website, supervised by independent parties, such as universities, to provide fact-based, scientifically correct information, without any conflicts of interest.
WeValueFood, was supported by EU through EIT Food, was a two-year collaborative project between Matis, University of Iceland, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM-IMDEA) and IMDEA Food Institute in Spain, EUFIC in Belgium, Koppert in the Netherlands, University of Cambridge and University of Reading in England, University of Helsinki in Finland University of Turin in Italy, University of Warsaw in Poland and Flatev in Switzerland. The entire project was managed by the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen's University Belfast, North Ireland.
