The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has updated its areas of research interest (ARI) to include a focus on food that is healthier and more sustainable.
FSA has added four new ARI that reflect the updated priorities in their 2022-2027 strategy: that food is safe; is what it says it is; and is healthier and more sustainable. The update includes revising the overarching research themes and the addition of four new ARI. The updated ARIs are:
Research priority one: Assuring food and feed safety and standards
- What is the impact of chemical hazards (including nanomaterials and microplastics) in food and how can we reduce it?
- What are the impacts of foodborne pathogens and how can we reduce them?
- What is the impact of food hypersensitivity (including allergies and intolerance) and how can we reduce it?
- What is the impact of crime, including food fraud, on the UK food supply chain, and how can we reduce it?
- What are the differences in food production systems and food standards globally and how does this impact on trade and the food available to UK consumers?
- What is the impact and risk of novel and non-traditional foods, additives, and processes on the food system, including on consumer confidence?
Research priority two: Understanding consumers and our wider society
- How do consumers view and understand the food system, and balance their choices against multiple competing factors (including safety and standards, nutrition and health, choice, availability, affordability, sustainability, and welfare)?
- What role does consumer and Food Business Operator behaviour and perception play in ensuring food safety and standards?
- What impact do food insecurity and other disparities have on the consumer and the food system?
Research priority three: Adapting to the food and feed system of the future
- What are the risks and opportunities presented by shifts and disruptions in the food system, including new and emerging technologies, and how should we regulate food in the future?
- How can the FSA continue to be an innovative and effective regulator when developing and implementing food regulations?
Research priority four: Addressing global grand challenges
- How can the FSA improve the evidence base concerning Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and food?
- What are the impacts of climate change, including society’s efforts to mitigate it and adapt to it, on the food system?
- How can we support the necessary transition to more healthy and sustainable diets, and what will be the impact on the UK food system, including food security, safety and standards?
