Capacity building on consumer comparative food testing

ended

Consumer organizations in CESEE countries are still fragmented, they are de-privileged in human and financial resources, and subsequently the consumers often lack independent and objective information about food and non-food products’ quality. Independent comparative testing, conducted by consumer organizations, proved to be a very effective tool to enhance the transparency in the market by supplying consumers the information that subsequently lead to informed consumers’ choice for a more qualitative yet not necessarily more expensive products. The Food PRO project will build capacity for performing a market research and independent comparative testing of food products. The project will focus on sharing best practices and knowledge for further development of sustainable consumer organizations in CESEE. Even more, it will particularly help smaller consumer organizations in cooperation with well-established midsize consumer organizations from the Region, to become sovereigns in executing these activate in the future themselves, including efficient communications and PR to disseminate the information in the food-product testing framework (consumers-authorities-manufacturers/retailers). Results & impacts: 1) Transfer of knowledge and experience (capacity) in conducting market research and independent comparative testing for small organizations, with special emphasis on the specifics of food products with the objective to build the capacity for smaller Consumer organizations to be capable of performing these activities in the future themselves; 2) Practical work on pilot comparative test of a food product in line with the protocols used by independent consumer comparative testing, communicating and disseminating test results to the public/consumers; 3) Producing a manual with guidelines for future; 4) Mentoring and training project partners, including in-field work; incl. communicating the results to the public – consumers in their own respective countries.