Consumers International members meet in Ghana to share insight on key food and digital issues in their region
On the 4th and 5th June 2018, Consumers International hosted a workshop in Accra, Ghana as part of a wider project with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The meeting was attended by member organisations who are assisting us with a study into making food systems more sustainable. The UN FAO meeting was followed by a half day workshop that gave members the chance to share insight on digital consumer issues in their country.
Making food systems more sustainable
The global project meeting on Monday 4th June was part of our wider project with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. One of the key outputs of this project will be a study into the ways in which consumers organisations can contribute to transforming food systems, making them fairer and more transparent.
At the meeting, members from 12 different countries were given an opportunity to share examples of the work they do on food in their own countries and brainstorm about some of the questions that the study will aim to address. A wide range of issues were discussed, including the importance of nutrition labelling, the accessibility of healthy and sustainable food products, and the use of antibiotics in food production.
The knowledge, insight and ideas provided by our members will now be used to inform the study on transforming food systems, which is due to be published later this year.
Global insight into digital consumer issues
On the 5th June, Consumers International ran a member meeting that focussed on the most pressing consumer protection issues relating to the digital world.
We asked attendees to share insight on the most important digital issues or challenges they faced in their country, as well as ideas for how these challenges could be overcome. While the challenges differed from country to country, data privacy and online security were two of the most prevalent areas of concern. Access to affordable internet was also put forward as a key challenge for many consumers, particularly in developing countries.
Attendees suggested that greater transparency over corporate data collection practices, improving digital literacy, reducing broadband and data prices, and stronger enforcement measures for bad practice were all approaches that could go some way to overcoming the challenges that consumers face in the digital world.
Members were also given an update on some of our recent work on digital, including the launch of the Digital Index; a searchable collection of digital policies from different countries that aim to protect and empower consumers in the digital world.
Visit our Facebook page to view a collection of photos from both events.