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EAAP Round Table, Rome | ||
| Number 49 | |||
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The production sector is asking for a better understanding of consumer trends because these are now a determining factor for the future of the agrofood chains. In the past, it was often said that livestock sector was organised "from the hayfork to the table fork" (or "from the field to the plate") and now it is said that it is needed to reverse the formula: "from the table fork to the hayfork!".
The 4th Round Table, organised in Roma, in the framework of the 54nd EAAP Annual Meeting, found dissent in the publication of the report on the future of the animal sector in Europe after the BSE crisis ("After BSE...). "Changing consumer" was the title of one of its chapters. If the consumer is changing, the animal sector too, but in what direction? In respect to what logics? And what is the role of the public regulation?
Those were the questions proposed to a panel composed by Catherine Reynolds (Institute of Food Research, UK), Martine Padilla (Mediterranean Agricultural Institute, Montpellier, France), Leo Bertozzi (Consorzio del Formaggio Parmegiano Reggiano, Italy), et Vittorio Ramazza (" Coop Italia ", Department of quality insurance, with the support of Roberto Chizzolini (Parma University, Italy)
Catherine Reynolds first explained that the major feature for the last decade is the impact of the crises such as BSE: "1996 was the year in which the 'bond' between "FOOD" (not just meat) and consumers was irrevocably broken. Consumer responses were not predictable." Clearly, it is an uncomfortable situation for the production sector. All the members of the panel agreed the explanation of Leo Bertozzi: "The most important change in consumer attitudes towards the food they eat is due to the growing distance between them and the places of food production and supply".
But behind the impact of the crises, is it possible to design major trends of evolution? This information should be very valuable for securing the production and the retail sectors by sending them significant signals for the future. In fact, there are effective long term evolutions but they vary according to the types of countries. For the Mediterranean and Near-East countries, Martine Padilla explains that a major trend is the changing of the family habits and particularly the evolution of the feminine activity: "the consequences are that consumption occasions are moving: for instance chicken becomes a banal daily product, while chicken meat often gets a negative image (mediocre and too variable quality in some countries), it is reputed for its practical aspects and easy use."
And Catherine Reynolds stressed that, for an industrialised countries as the United Kingdom, it is no more a matter to speak about cooking: "More people eat lunch at their work desk than anywhere else in Europe. You are not likely to eat anything which is hot, medium rare or covered in sauce whilst typing e-mails - you are more likely to snack on fruit, or a yoghurt!"
As far for Italy, Leo Bertozzi made the analysis that there is for one part "a very strong concentration along the production and the distribution chain with a significant standardization in the products offered for sale". But, contrary to this trend, "there is also an increasing consumer interest in products with Geographic Indications on one hand and for dietary diversification on the other."
For Vittorrio Ramazza, the consequence of this situation for a retail group as "Coop Italia" are that it has to satisfy at the same time a large spread of various types of demands. For instance: "diversification of the demand (the "every day steak" age is now out of date), increasing of the demand of "service" included in the product itself, demand of higher hygienic guarantees; the origin of the production has to be assured (productive chain traceability); information and guarantees about the animal feeding; demand for items from organic farming and rearing."
The last part of the Round Table raised the interesting issue of the role of public institutions as one important aspect of the consumer issue. In this respect, Catherine Reynolds was very affirmative: "The most important change in the UK in recent years has been our Food Standards Agency - with its three guiding principles of putting consumers first, being open and accessible, and being independent. It is highly trusted. Trust in a regulator is important if you have not, as a consumer, got control, time or knowledge."
Martine Padilla considered that the role of the public regulation is also particularly important in countries were "animal products are eaten fresh and are easily perishable." But she asks for moderate normalisation system: "the actual one kills the specific products; and it is very expensive for small and medium enterprises and too much expensive for poor countries and it doesn't take into account the nutritional contents of products."
Leo Bertozzi stressed the importance of the role of the public regulation for giving guarantees to the products with denomination of origin: "The most important change in the EU in recent years has been the institution of Regulations for the protection of Geographic Indications (PDO/PGI). This has created a common frame of reference for all EU member countries which has influenced the presentation of food products to consumers and enhanced a protection system aimed at giving a better and more concrete guarantee of the product specifications."
At this stage, it was valuable to hear the analysis of the retail companies. Vittorio Ramazza : "Strong synergies have been developed since years among the role of the public organizations and that of Coop: the last is collaborating with the institutions and tends to integrate with his own private activities what has already been defined by law."
In a previous debate during the past year in France, I heard the director of a major retail company who said: "the consumers are the motor of our power". Really, it is important to focus our interest on the consumers. Nevertheless we have understood, that if we do it, as during this Round Table, it is not so easy to understand who really the consumers and what are the main traits for characterizing their evolution, or their capacity of influencing the production sector. In fact, consumers are unpredictable and the consumer cannot be found! If we consider quantitative size of the consumption, we can observe the long trends, for instance in respect to meat consumption, favorable to poultry and less favorable to beef meat. There are also new requirements in respect to what is called "Quality", in relation to the impact of the last crises, with an increasing interest for the appellations of origin: the public regulation here has a determining role.
But, we also heard that there is a search by consumers and producers to work together in a closer relation and to pay more attention to environmental aspects, but this attention seems only shared by a limited part of the consumers. So, we should have also to more discuss how the new values accorded to food could be bring to the consumers in a context of the market relations.
Finally, this 4th Round Table again proved the interest in organizing discussions in the socio-economic fields by inviting personalities we are not used to hearing in the framework of the usual EAAP Meetings.
Jean-Claude Flamant
Mission d'Animation des Agrobiosciences
flamant@agrobiosciences.com
Note: The full Proceedings of the Round Table will be available on the web sites of EAAP (www.eaap.org) and the Mission d'Animation des Agrobiosciences (www.agrobiosciences.org).
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