Work package 12 - Consumer and Societal Issues

Coordination and monitoring: by Wim Verbeke (Ghent University)

Aim: To foster interaction and exchange of information between the network sectors and society as a whole and consumers in particular.
 
Societal debates about primary production(including aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resources), as well as about novel processing methods and techniques are gaining momentum, both because of their emerging (public, health, food, trade) policy relevance and because of growing EU citizen interests and concerns. Consumer acceptance is crucial for the marketplace success of industries, products, and innovations. Consumer acceptance is key to the survival of industries. Societal debate, consumer acceptance and industry image are fuelled by communication and information. Scientists, researchers and industry people in the network sectors are likely to become more important as sources for the provision of such information.

Main Objectives:
1.    Establishing a platform for the exchange of information between the network sectors and society as a whole, as well as between the network, and its customers (e.g. retailers) and end users (i.e. European seafood consumers) in the value chain. This activity will link up with the networks dissemination plans.
2.    Performing a needs analysis of necessary skills within network domains relevant to societal and consumer issues (such as communication, management skills, sustainability, animal welfare) (linking with WP4).
3.    Contributing to the training in societal and consumer issues skills (as identified under the previous objective). This will include feedback and recommendations for the development of MSc, PhD and Mobility programmes.
4.    Provide specialist teaching within existing courses and programmes through visiting lecturers with social, consumer, communication and management science experience.

Outputs and results: