Food Standards Agency appoints Community Research in a research programme partnership

We are delighted to announce that the Food Standards Agency have appointed Community Research in partnership with 2CV Research to deliver their citizens’ forum research programme over the next 18 months (and hopefully beyond!)  The two agencies each bring a different but overlapping set of skills and experience to the partnership, giving the FSA the benefits of working with boutique agencies while also being able to access the resources and expertise of a wider consortium.

The FSA’s programme of consumer engagement is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies with a broad range of audiences including SMEs, Food Business Operators, vulnerable groups as well as the general public. Central to the programme is the creation and management of deliberative citizens’ forums, but the partnership will also undertake a range of both traditional and innovative research approaches including mobile ethnography, tracking, quali-halls and citizens’ panels.

As specialists in deliberative forum and citizen voice research for numerous clients in the regulation sector, Community Research’s skills complement 2CV Research’s expertise in communications and campaign strategy and development, behaviour change theory and consumer trends, offering the FSA a unique package of capabilities.

Ely Mirzahosseinkhan, Consumer Engagement Manager at the FSA said: “We thought the partnership was a fresh approach to meet our needs and offered the FSA an innovative way to access a whole host of methodologies, both traditional and new, as well as vast expertise across the two agencies.”