FSA Appoints Consumer Engagement Committee

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has appointed Philip Cullum as Chair of its new Advisory Committee on Consumer Engagement, alongside eight new committee members from a wide range of backgrounds.

Cullum is currently Acting Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council (NCC), where he leads the London-based management team. Before joining, he was Executive Director of Opinion Leader Research, Associate Partner at Accenture, and Head of Policy at the Consumers' Association (now Which?). He is a frequent speaker on consumer issues on TV and radio, and is also a member of the government's new Risk and Regulation Advisory Council.

The additional new committee members are:

• Liz Breckenridge - freelance marketing consultant who was previously Marketing Director at Highland Spring.
• Geraldine Campbell - a self-employed consultant in the voluntary sector, who was previously Chief Executive of the The HIV Support Centre charity.
• Steve Garrett - Founder and Chair of the Riverside Community Market Association (RCMA), and a founder member of Farmers Markets in Wales.
• Sharon Grant - Chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health and previously a university lecturer in Social Policy.
• Timothy Hornsby - Chair of the Horniman Museum, and of the Harkness Fellows Association, who was previously Commissioner of the National Lottery Commission.
• Tom Horwood - currently Head of Communications and Policy at East Hampshire District Council, with a background in the public and voluntary sectors.
• Claire Nicholson - who worked for PA Consulting Group before joining Sainsbury's, where she held a number of senior roles.
• Sue Segar - Independent Marketing and PR Consultant, who gained her marcoms experience at ICI Dulux and Acco Brands.

The FSA cites 'Putting the consumer first' as one of its core values, and the new committee will review how the agency conducts and analyses research, and provide support and advice on consumer perspective, analysis of consumer data, and performance measurement and marketing innovation. In addition to reporting on the effectiveness of the agency's consumer engagement, the committee will also make recommendations to the agency's board on how the engagement process might be strengthened.

Food Standards Agency Chair, Dame Deirdre Hutton commented: 'We are committed to putting the consumer at the heart of what we do. This new advisory committee will provide an independent audit of our performance in all of our interaction with consumers.'

The agency is on the web at www.food.gov.uk.