Food Standards Agency: Areas of Research Interest · first published 24 July 2020
This document outlines the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) priority areas for research, linked to its Science Evidence and Information Strategy Delivery Plan 2015–20. The FSA uses this to guide where it will invest in and commission research to meet its food safety and standards objectives. For small businesses, this is most relevant if you are a research, consultancy, or specialist science firm that could bid for FSA-commissioned research contracts. The full detail of the specific research priority areas is held in a PDF that has not been fully parsed, so the precise topics cannot be confirmed here. The document is now dated (strategy period 2015–20), which limits its current actionability, though the GOV.UK page remains listed as active.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
Because only the GOV.UK summary is available — not the full PDF — the specific research themes the FSA is prioritising cannot be confirmed, limiting usefulness for bid preparation. Small research, data, or food-science consultancies should seek out the full PDF to identify whether their expertise aligns with FSA priorities before pursuing FSA research contracts. The 2015–20 strategy period suggests an updated Areas of Research Interest document may now exist, so firms should check for a more recent version before acting on this one.
1. Download and read the full FSA Areas of Research Interest PDF from GOV.UK to identify which specific research topics align with your firm's expertise before preparing any bid or expression of interest.
SMEs in food science, public health research, or related consultancy — The full research priority detail is held in a PDF not captured here — without reading it, you cannot know whether your work matches FSA needs.
2. Check GOV.UK and the FSA website for a more recent Areas of Research Interest document, as the referenced strategy covered 2015–20 and an updated version is likely to exist.
SMEs in food science, public health research, or related consultancy — The document references the 'Science Evidence and Information Strategy Delivery Plan 2015-20', meaning this version may be superseded for current commissioning cycles.
3. Monitor FSA procurement notices on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, using the FSA's published research priorities as a guide to the types of research contracts likely to be tendered.
SMEs in food science, public health research, or related consultancy — The FSA commissions external research to deliver its objectives; knowing its priority areas helps firms anticipate and prepare for upcoming tenders.
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
The FSA's research priorities are set out in its Science Evidence and Information Strategy Delivery Plan 2015–20, which is kept under review. (Food Standards Agency research commissioning; all suppliers of research services to the FSA.)
“The Food Standard Agency's (FSA) priorities for research in order to deliver our objectives are set out in our Science Evidence and Information Strategy Delivery Plan 2015-20.”
The FSA works with its Science Council and others to identify new research needs and opportunities. (FSA research strategy; relevant to organisations seeking to engage with or supply to the FSA on research.)
“We keep these under review, working with our Science Council and others, to identify new needs and opportunities to deploy science to address our objectives.”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
Source document © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0 via the GOV.UK Content API. enkii tracks every Procurement Policy Note and briefs changes the day they land — see all briefings.