A STATE of the art centre dedicated to research into improving the quality of our food has opened at Lancaster University.

The Waitrose Centre for Sustainable Agriculture is a joint venture between the supermarket chain and the Lancaster Environment Centre and will provide academic research and training for professionals working in the food industry in an attempt to address issues such as food quality and the impact of food production on the environment.

A recent survey by the Consumers Association found that issues such as food safety, quality, choice of where food is produced, and concerns about methods of production, are important for consumers.

The survey found that 76 per cent of consumers were concerned with how food was produced and 80 per cent of respondents were concerned about use of drugs in animals, food safety problems caused by modern methods of production, animal welfare and environmental pollution Co-Director of the Lancaster Environment Centre Professor Bill Davies said: "This is a really exciting development for the university. The Waitrose Centre will take forward the need to refine food production in harmony with the environment.

"We have a lot of expertise in the environment centre relevant to the production of food, including plant science and economics. The idea is that the new centre puts much of that expertise to work in an area where there is much public concern."

Large supermarket chains have also come in for some criticism for not providing accurately labelled, good quality, locally-produced food due to their dominance of the retail sector and the drive to make profits.

Director of Buying at Waitrose Angela Megson said that the company's involvement with the university was much to do with consumers becoming more aware of where their food came from, and Waitrose had already sent around 130 members of staff and suppliers on a responsible agronomy course at the centre.

"Customers now want to know a number of things about their food including where it come from, how it is grown and by whom. Customers are also much more concerned about things like pesticides and minimising the effect of agriculture on the environment," she added.