Research Programme:
Social & Economic Sciences
Consumer perception
The potential benefit of using genetic information to provide more targeted and more successful dietary advice to tackle the metabolic syndrome is a relatively new concept to consumers. Equally, new agro-food technologies, which may provide great benefit directly to the consumer are in stark contrast to many of the new technologies in this area where the benefit is perceived to be mainly to the large agri-chemical industries.
An understanding of how consumers view the metabolic syndrome, how those suffering the metabolic syndrome see their problem and how consumers see the risks and benefits of new technologies is a major focus of the major qualitative and quantitative consumer research programme.
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Economic understanding
In addition to understanding the needs and views of consumers, we need to take into account how these new agro-food technologies might be fostered through either price support or premium prices. We need to understand how the existing food regulatory framework provides barriers and opportunities for the marketing of products based on these new technologies.
Finally, some level of effort to address the opposite side of the coin will be needed in that the true costs of the metabolic syndrome and of its pharmacological management need to be ascertained.
