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Dr Anna Macready

Photograph of Anna Macready
  • Programme Director & Admissions Tutor: BSc Consumer Behaviour & Marketing
  • Programme Advisor: MSc Consumer Behaviour
  • BSc Module Convenor: Independent Research Project (Dissertation) and Applied Project
  • MSc Module Convenor: Human Motivation and Nudging & Behaviour Change
  • Sessional Lecturer: Global Issues in Nutrition & Health; Contemporary Issues in Consumer Behaviour & Marketing; Graduate Skills Training: How to write a thesis; Consumer Acceptance of Alternative Proteins (SPOC) 

Areas of interest

As a Psychologist and Registered Public Health Nutritionist, I have a broad range of interests in subject areas relating to consumer psychology, behaviour and food. My areas of expertise include health-related behaviour change, behaviour change techniques, human cognition and behaviour, ageing, life-style, well-being, and qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Published work: 

Mainly spans health-related behaviour change, Internet behaviour change techniques, consumer perceptions and attitudes, consumer research design and methods, and the influence of age and lifestyle factors on cognition, mood and health. I am interested in supervising PhD projects in any of the above areas. 

Research centres and groups

My industry and consultancy experience spans a range of private and public sector organisations including Cargill, Unilever, General Motors and Pinault-Printemps-Redoute to the Dept for Education and Skills and The Cabinet Office.

Research projects

My current research focuses on consumer trust, food waste, consumer adoption of sustainable foods, and the effects of foods and their nutrients on cognition. I currently lead a task force researching consumer trust in the food system.

Food and health: My work has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food, European Union FP7, and Food Standards Agency. Projects include:

  • EIT Food TrustTracker® - A large-scale pan-European consumer survey on trust in the food system in 13 countries
  • Don't be a Food Waster - Providing insights for social awareness campaigns on food waste based on consumer research and field studies carried out in Belgium, Germany and UK
  • Food4Me - A pan-European project exploring challenges and opportunities for online delivery of personalised nutrition dietary advice to bring about healthy positive lifestyle behaviour change
  • FLAVURS - The Flavonoids University of Reading Study exploring cognitive, mood and cardiovascular health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption

Professional bodies/affiliations

  • British Psychological Society
  • Nutrition Society
  • Association for Nutrition: Registered Nutritionist (Public Health)

Publications