Guildford, UK

The Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre (FCBH) was founded by the University of Surrey in 2000 and brings together researchers from psychology, nutrition, food safety and management in order to address issues concerned with food and consumer behaviour. The major driving force behind the Research Centre is the need to translate basic biological knowledge on food safety, diet and health in order to facilitate the improvement of people's lives. Its role in EURRECA is to ensure that issues which involve consumer and other stakeholder interests are fully integrated into the Network.

Over the last few years the Centre has had projects funded by the European Union, the UK's Food Standards Agency (e.g. Involving low income consumers in policy making: Developing consultation methods and improving participation levels), Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Research Councils UK. Within The European Food Information Resource Network, FCBH is responsible for the work on stakeholder and user views with regard to food composition data. FCBH has coordinated two major EU-funded projects: Choosing foods eating meals: sustaining independence and quality of life in old age (SENIOR FOOD-QOL) and Consumer decision-making on organic products (CONDOR). FCBH is also currently a partner in: Diet, Obesity and Genes (DiOGenes), Early nutrition programming - long term follow up of efficacy and safety trials and integrated epidemiological, genetic, animal, consumer and economic research (EARNEST), and Exploiting bioactivity of European cereal grains for improved nutrition and health benefits (HEALTHGRAIN).

Website: www.psy.surrey.ac.uk/staff/MRaats.htm