The Quebec Consumer Confidence Barometer on Food Named a Finalist for the 2026 Scientific Collaboration Award

The Quebec Consumer Confidence in Food Barometer, developed at CIRANO in partnership with the Québec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), is one of three finalists for the 2026 Prix Collaboration scientifique (Scientific Collaboration Award) presented by the Institut d’administration publique du Québec (IAPQ). The project is submitted by MAPAQ as part of the 40th edition of the Prix d’excellence de l’administration publique du Québec.

Updated every two years since 2019, the Barometer tracks changes in Quebecers’ confidence in food and provides a better understanding of the factors influencing their perceptions, knowledge, and food-related behaviours. Its fourth edition, based on a survey conducted in February 2025 among a representative sample of 1,003 Quebecers, makes it possible to examine how these dimensions evolve over time and in relation to changes in the economic and social context.

The project is led at CIRANO by Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin (Polytechnique Montréal), CIRANO Researcher and Fellow, and Ingrid Peignier, Senior Director of Partnerships and Research Valorization and Projects Director at CIRANO, in collaboration with MAPAQ teams.

A Scientific Tool Supporting the Biofood Policy

Over its four editions, the Barometer has become a tool not only for measuring confidence in food, but also for documenting its determinants and tracking changes in the concerns of Quebecers.

The Politique bioalimentaire 2025-2035 – Nourrir nos ambitions confirms the role of this tool in monitoring public action. Consumer confidence in food is one of four key indicators used to monitor Québec’s food autonomy. The Policy also identifies consumer confidence as an indicator to be tracked over the next ten years.

This integration illustrates how a longitudinal research initiative can contribute to the monitoring of public policy. The data collected through the Barometer also help document issues related to food origin, local purchasing, transparency of information, and food literacy.

A Collaboration Between Research and Public Administration

The Barometer is based on an ongoing collaboration between CIRANO and MAPAQ. CIRANO contributes its scientific expertise, from survey design to data analysis, while the partnership with MAPAQ helps connect the research with issues facing the biofood sector and public administration.

This collaboration also extends to knowledge mobilization. In January 2026, Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin and Ingrid Peignier presented the main findings of the fourth edition of the Barometer to MAPAQ professionals and executives as part of a training seminar designed to provide ministry teams with analytical tools to support their work and interventions in biofood policy.

The Barometer’s selection as a finalist for the Prix Collaboration scientifique highlights an approach that brings together knowledge production, scientific knowledge transfer, and the needs of public administration.

The winners of the Prix d’excellence de l’administration publique du Québec will be announced at the awards ceremony on November 26, 2026, at the Québec City Convention Centre.

Learn More

Research Report
Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin and Ingrid Peignier (2025), Baromètre de la confiance des consommateurs québécois à l’égard des aliments – 4e édition, CIRANO Project Report 2025RP-25.

PERSPECTIVES
Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin and Ingrid Peignier (2025), Quebecers and Food: Local Origin Reassures, Transparency Builds Trust, and Literacy Prepares the Future, CIRANO, 2025PJ-18.

Video
4e édition du Baromètre de la confiance des consommateurs québécois à l’égard des aliments