Consumer needs and requirements for food and ingredient traceability information

The introduction of improved food traceability systems has aimed to restore consumer confidence in food safety and quality, in part by being able to provide consumers with more information about the origins of foods and food ingredients. However, little is known about consumers’ opinions and beliefs associated with traceability, nor their preferences for information provision. In the current paper, consumer information needs and requirements regarding traceability are investigated. Semi-structured interviews with consumers in four European countries focused on the need for traceability, the preferred means of communication, labelling and bodies held responsible for traceability and dealing with fraud. Results show that there is a clear consumer need for varied information about food and the production processes involved. Rigorous and accountable traceability systems may assist in making such information available to consumers