The UK public distrusts the food industry and its research activities and is unwilling to support work to improve the taste and appearance of food, according to a study into public priorities for research into diet and health.
The study, commissioned by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, found that people distrusted the industry's collaboration with universities. It also highlighted the public's low awareness of how science works and the low level of recognition of the role of research in the UK economy.
The research, carried out by MORI Social Research Institute, found that people saw improving the taste, colour, appearance and texture of food or manufacturing processes as the least important research areas and ones that manufacturers should pay for themselves. Instead they would prefer to see funding for research into the prevention of and protection against illness, the nutritional quality of food and tackling obesity.
The results came as the industry faced more pressure to improve quality, particularly of school catering, with the second reading in parliament of the Children's Food Bill, which aims to improve children's health through their diets. Among other measures, the bill proposes the banning of unhealthy food in schools.
Meanwhile, public consultation is under way on the recommendations for tougher nutritional standards in the government's School Meals Review Panel's report Turning the tables: transforming school food, which was commissioned in the wake of Jamie Oliver's exposure of the state of school meals.
The report called for caterers to use local, seasonal and organic foods wherever possible; a proposal which could force many caterers and suppliers to change their products and could affect pricing.
School caterer Scolarest, part of contract caterer the Compass Group, said that it would already meet most of the new standards and was well on the way to meeting the rest.
The report proposed a ban on schools serving food which is low quality or high in salt and sugar.