2013/2014
The Ecology of Food Perception
The Ecology of Food Perception
Naturvitenskap
Principal investigators
Abstract
Our goal is to organize and stimulate broad stakeholder participation in discussions of sustainable next generation approaches to human food ecology. Stakeholders are consumers, food industry, policy-makers, health-care providers, educators, and more, while food ecology is a concept that connects eating behavior in humans and animals to biology and environment. In the world today, consumer behavior and health are topics of immense public awareness and media interest, but despite that, food-related health problems continue to rise. The situation has proven difficult to control via public information about healthy consumer behavior and limits the continuation of 'business as usual' with respect to how consumers deal with their food environment. Food environmental factors influence peoples' food choice and consumption, and can be identified, tested and controlled during production and marketing to affect consumer behavior. This controllability, for example of food product selection, branding, placement and price, creates incentives for the food industry as well as for policy makers that aim to balance economic progress with the interests of public health. We believe the public's awareness about foods creates win-win opportunities: Innovative product development, labeling and retailer strategies leading to responsible consumer behavior paralleled by food industrial profits. We call such win-win scenarios sustainable next generation approaches to human food ecology, and invite all interested parties, the general public, private enterprises, government, legislature and the media, to join us in debate.
Fellows
Gro V. Amdam
Associate Professor
Norwegian University of Life Sciences & Arizona State University
Year at CAS
Bård Kulseng
Associate Professor
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Year at CAS
Lindsay Ross Matthews
Dr.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise “Giuseppe Caporale” (IZSAM)
Year at CAS
Alexander Schjøll
Ph. D. Candidate
National Institute for Conusmer Research (SIFO)
Year at CAS
Silje Elisabeth Skuland
Research Fellow
National Institute for Conusmer Research (SIFO)
Year at CAS
Marianne Sundt Sødring
Ph. D. Candidate
Norwegian School of Veterinary Science
Year at CAS
Anne-Berit Wold
Associate Professor
Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Year at CAS