Food scandals such as "BSE" or "rotten meat" were the reason for the introduction of the Consumer Information Act (VIG) in Germany. This law would have been in force for two years on 1 May 2010. By then, the Federal Government wanted to present an initial progress report. The IZT and its research partners were therefore commissioned to analyse the significance of the Internet for the implementation of the objectives of the VIG. The law was intended to promote market transparency for consumers and the information culture of public authorities.

On the one hand, the research project analysed how authorities provide information about the Consumer Information Act on the internet. On the other hand, public authorities now have better opportunities to proactively go public, for example in the event of health risks or legal violations. Another focus of the study was therefore on proactive consumer information on the Internet.

Market transparency for consumers is an issue that is increasingly becoming the focus of public attention. The Act to Improve Health-Related Consumer Information - the Consumer Information Act (VIG) for short - set itself the goal of promoting modern standards of a transparent and citizen-centred public authority culture. The law came into force on 1 May 2008. When the Consumer Information Act was passed, the German Bundestag and Bundesrat called on the Federal Government to submit an initial progress report two years after it came into force.

Against this background, the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) commissioned a research project to analyse changes in the information culture of the authorities responsible for food and feed monitoring and the companies and associations active in this area. The research project was carried out by the IZT - Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment in cooperation with Dialogik and Kommunikationsbüro Ulmer.

The objectives of the law were expected to have an impact on the information culture of authorities and companies. The responsible authorities were required to inform the public, particularly in the event of health hazards, cases of disgusting food, significant consumer deception or legal violations. In particular, authorities should publish information on their own initiative, for example via the internet, in the interests of better consumer information and service quality, even without an individual request. The binding introduction of a right to information vis-à-vis companies as part of the Consumer Information Act was also discussed, as were possible voluntary commitments by the industry.

The aim of the research project was to make a significant contribution to the evaluation of the Consumer Information Act and to submit proposals to the responsible Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection on how access to information on the Internet can be made easier for consumers.

The focus was on the measures that selected authorities, companies, consumer centres and other stakeholders have taken since the Consumer Information Act came into force to provide consumers with transparent information on the Internet and thus enable them to act responsibly.

The analysis steps and guiding research questions were as follows:

1. information culture in comparison:

  • How do authorities and consumer centres provide information about VIG rights and procedures on the Internet?
  • Are additional information or communication services offered (e.g. contact forms, links to vig-wirkt.de, naming of contact persons)?
  • Do authorities also publish information requested under the VIG independently of an application?
  • Do public authorities proactively inform the public on the Internet?

2. in-depth thematic analyses:

  • How are current food quality topics related to the Consumer Information Act discussed on the Internet (breadth and depth of information along the entire chain of actors from authorities, companies and associations)?
  • What types and patterns of websites and information cultures can be identified in public authorities, companies and associations using this topic as an example?
  • What good examples of proactive information culture can be identified and described by public authorities as a result of the VIG?

3. consumer expectations:

  • What do consumers expect from consumer information websites?
  • What information do they expect to find on the Internet and what information and search strategies do they pursue?