Research need from Focus Group: Better understand the perception and acceptance of recycled nutrients throughout the food production value chain through social sciences

This need for research has been identified in FG 19 on “Nutrient recycling”. If you want to know more about it, check the final report of the Focus Group.

Social sciences use ‘choice experiments’ to identify the willingness to accept & pay for novel types of biobased fertilisers. In addition, social acceptance studies should investigate the entire value chain – for example the food industry and distribution/retail have an overwhelming impact on the acceptability of biobased fertilisers. Interests and views on sustainability can cause conflict between stakeholders – for example, the application of renewable nutrient resources can be emphasised against the perceived risks of unknown impact on the environment or (real or imaginative) risks associated with recycled products. The terms ‘renewable’ or ‘recycled’ therefore do not necessarily imply a higher acceptance level.