Foodaware strategy 2006-2008

CFG 08/06

Background

Foodaware: the Consumers’ Food Group coordinates the broad UK consumer movement’s work on food safety, nutrition and standards with the benefit of a contract from the Food Standards Agency. Our mission is to give UK consumers a strong voice in food policy by bringing together the organisations that represent them. We also consult and support the UK consumer representatives on food related committees, and further the public understanding of science.

Foodaware developed from the Food and Agriculture Working Party of the Consumers in Europe Group UK (CEG). Our members are consumer, women’s, family, ethnic minority and enforcement organisations, who also contribute time and expertise to our representations. Collectively, the individual members of our membership constitute several million consumers.

Foodaware has established itself as a strong brand within the consumer and independent sector in recent years, building on experience of UK and EU policy within CEG over 20 years. Our objective is to represent the consumer view on UK and EU food policy matters to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), and relevant European Union bodies. Foodaware’s particular strengths lie in the network of members who span a broad section of society, and have connections with grass root memberships throughout the United Kingdom; our mailing list and website which keep members up to date and informed on policy issues; the regular supply of information and policy papers on consumer aspects of food and issues which members may find of interest; and our ability to provide quality responses to a significant number of consultations during the year. The challenge over the next three years is to increase awareness of our activities, strengthen our funding base, and ensure ongoing independence for our work.

Core responsibilities

To provide a secretariat for Foodaware, organise at least four meetings of representatives from member organisations and consult them electronically on urgent matters in between.
To produce responses to consultations on food policy issues, and in particular to address priority issues within the remit of the FSA and report quarterly to the FSA on the group’s activities.
To produce a quarterly update on the progress of ongoing EU and UK food policy issues.
To invite members of UK advisory committees to participate in our work when a relevant issue is under discussion.
To identify suitable consumer representatives for appointment to advisory bodies and ad hoc meetings of relevant government departments and the FSA, and encourage more consumer representatives to come forward.
To raise the profile of Foodaware with the FSA throughout the UK, its policy departments and committees, EU bodies, the general public and members’ organisations and to present Foodaware’s views to representatives of EU bodies including the European Commission and the European Parliament (EP).
To keep the FSA informed of EU consumer-related developments regarding food.

Priorities for the next three years

To maintain and expand the number and scope of our responses, and ensure that there is funding in place to underpin that. In particular, to provide consumer views on UK and EU food policy issues to government, devolved administrations and relevant organisations. Priority topics include the simplification agenda, better regulation and effective enforcement of policies which can deliver sustainable, safe food supplies, healthy eating and improved nutrition.
To update and sustain the website and mailing lists as an effective means of communication to members and the wider public and produce an updated version of the leaflet describing our role and key policies.
To seek ways of extending the funding base and voluntary effort without jeopardising the independence of the group or reducing its effectiveness.
To establish clearer priorities so that we can be more proactive and effective without reducing our ability to respond to relevant new initiatives, and not duplicate where other consumer organisations are taking a lead.
To extend Foodaware’s influence on government departments whose policies are related to food including Defra, DfES and the DoH. Where practical, to support partnership working with their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by responding to relevant consultations and encouraging them to take account of consumer views.
To improve our effectiveness in monitoring and responding to food-related initiatives from the European Commission and other Community institutions by strengthening our collaborative working with Brussels-based organisations and individuals.
To sustain the involvement of consumer and lay members of advisory committees in our work, to update them on the issues, and to spread their knowledge to the membership.

Areas for future development

Members consider that as the FSA has abolished its Consumer Committee and plans to involve consumers in different ways, Foodaware should extend its representational work so the FSA still hears a clear, informed and co-ordinated view from consumer representatives. Foodaware is dependent to a large extent on the commitment of its officers and members who give their time and expertise voluntarily. It also relies on a small part-time secretariat to manage the workload, organise meetings, consult with members, keep members informed and submit responses to consultations. There are a number of areas where we would like to extend our work, but these will depend on additional resources becoming available. These include:

Gradually building a stronger relationship with press contacts where feasible in order to develop a higher public profile for Foodaware’s work;
Extending the involvement of voluntary organisations in our work, with particular emphasis on encouraging organisations which represent young people, low-income consumers, and ethnic minority groups. Nurturing a new generation of consumer representatives should be a priority but requires significant time and financial resources;
Increased collaboration with the FSA in outreach work, by helping to facilitate regional meetings and supporting the FSA’s initiatives at local level; and
Providing or assisting with training for new consumer advocates in different parts of the UK and for new representatives on advisory committees.

Key aims

To input a clear and fully representative consumer view to the Food Standards Agency on all key issues and including technical subjects such as meat hygiene, zoonoses, diet and health. This will be done by:

Quality research and papers;
The active involvement of members from a wide range of consumer interests;
Outreach to the wider membership with a two-way flow of information;
Input on the subject matter from consumer members of food-related committees; and
Attendance at key meetings and stakeholder events.

To increase the impact of UK consumer views on EU decision-making:

Identify key issues within the European Community where there is a consumer interest;
Feed in Foodaware’s views as far as possible to BEUC, the European Consumers’ Group (ECCG), European Economic and Social Committee, European Parliament and EC Commission;
Follow up on draft texts and press for relevant amendments to be adopted at each stage of decision-making right through to final decision;
Support UK consumer representatives in Brussels and build relations with newly appointed members of ECOSOC and the European Consumer Consultative Committee; and
Report back each quarter on activity and impact.

To strengthen involvement with UK and other Government departments whose decisions affect food policy, availability and nutrition:

Build and improve relations with Defra regarding agricultural standards, fisheries policy, sustainability of the food supply, and animal health;
Where practicable to participate in relevant stakeholder meetings, and support consumer members appointed to advisory committees on e.g. veterinary medicines, animal feed and BSE;
To provide comments on policy issues which are cross-cutting between FSA and other Government departments e.g. Defra on animal health, zoonotic diseases, food and fisheries' availability and quality, and sustainability;
To liaise as appropriate with the Departments of Health in relation to nutrition, diet and health issues, human infection associated with food including allergies, and respond to relevant consultations; and
To input views to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) regarding curricular issues, school meals and promotion of food and drink in schools.

To build up and support a bank of consumer representatives on food issues, especially those serving on government committees:

Identify and contact all consumer/lay members of government food-related committees;
Include as many as wish in Foodaware meetings and on its mailing lists;
Consult them particularly when their subject comes up in Foodaware;
Provide them with an opportunity to report back;
· Develop a list of representatives to track particular stakeholder meetings, and a bank of possible candidates for appointment to advisory committees and working groups;
Collect and advertise opportunities on such committees and put names forward wherever possible;
Establish a pairing system whereby a new representative attends a stakeholder meeting in a training capacity with a more experienced member;
Co-operate with the FSA over training;
Ensure the website is kept up to date with membership details, all policy papers, minutes etc;
Monitor and review the use of the website, plotting the numbers of hits and the areas of interest; and
Consider carrying out an on-line survey of the usefulness of the information on the website.

To sustain the membership and to involve specific organisations associated with young people and representing the interests of poorer people:

Maintain and strengthen relations with national organisations covering these sectors and identify areas of common interest; and
Involve representatives from these sectors in making presentations to the group and on the email mailing list.

Governance:

To maintain democratic processes and encourage members to participate in the appointment of the officers; and
To review management and financial arrangements with ERICA and consider implications for governance.

July 2006