<div style="text-align: justify;">The aim of the survey is to understand EU citizens’ experiences and perceptions of food security and self-sufficiency. The survey also looks at consumer priorities when buying food, awareness of quality labels and perceptions of the link between agriculture and the preservation of nature and countryside.<br>Food security is one of the most compelling global challenges. The rapid growth of the world’s population puts great pressure on critical resources such as water, energy and food. Food security will become an ever greater priority for the EU and the world as the global demand for food increases and the challenges of sustainable production and equitable distribution become increasingly acute.<br>The system of food production and distribution must meet the challenge of ensuring food security while at the same time dealing with the current impact of climate change on agriculture and adapting agriculture to lessen its future environmental impact. Half the EU’s land is farmed, so initiatives to decrease emissions, maintain biodiversity, preserve natural resources and conserve areas of ecological and scenic value are of significant and increasing importance.<br>In these demanding circumstances, the EU regards the promotion and assurance of food quality as an important instrument for EU farmers to increase their competitiveness and profitability. EU law already enforces strict requirements to guarantee the standard of European products. However, the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development believes that more should be done to communicate the qualities of these products to consumers. It is therefore committed to the improvement and extension of quality assurance schemes to identify and protect certain foodstuffs produced in accordance with particularly demanding criteria of quality or production method.<br>As the EU takes action to address these issues, it is necessary to ascertain levels of concern and awareness among EU citizens. The data provided by this Special<br>Eurobarometer survey make it possible to evaluate public attitudes when buying food, awareness of quality labels and perceptions of the link between agriculture and the preservation of nature and countryside.<br>This survey was carried out by TNS Opinion & Social network in the 27 Member States of the European Union between the 10th and the 25th of March 2012. 26.593 respondents from different social and demographic groups were interviewed face-to-face at home in their mother tongue on behalf of Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. The methodology used is that of Eurobarometer surveys as carried out by the Directorate-General for Communication (“Research and Speechwriting” Unit). A technical note on the manner in which interviews were conducted by the Institutes within the TNS Opinion & Social network is appended as an annex to the report. Also included are the interview methods and confidence intervals.</div><br>
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