One Day Conference – 'Consumers and Food Baskets' – 15th December 2014, Nobel House. London.

 

 

This year’s conference will focus on consumers and the wider food chain. Consumers increasingly seek more information about how and where their food is produced, coupled with ongoing concerns about the level and volatility of retail food prices in the context of recent slow economic growth. Food commodity markets are global, but retailers are also responding to changing consumer choices, which often reflect preferences for wide range of food attributes.

The aim of the conference is two-fold; firstly, to gain a better understanding and evidence of food price determination at the retail level; and secondly, to gauge consumer preferences for different food attributes. The morning session covers price dynamics along the chain with presentations on the transmission from farm to retail, transparency in the food chain in Europe and OECD countries, and UK retailer pricing. The afternoon session will discuss consumer issues including the willingness to pay for organic produce and higher animal welfare standards, as well as showcasing the latest statistics on consumption patterns from Defra’s Family Food Survey.

The keynote speaker will be Christine Tacon, the Groceries Code Adjudicator.  Presentations from both academics, NGOs and government aim to stimulate a policy relevant discussion, as well as identifying topics that need further research.

The conference is intended to attract a wide range of people and institutions with an interest in the changing food chain - and the implications for policy in the UK and European Union”