Communication of food‐related health risks and benefits – a systematic review (2018‐2022)

Abstract

In response to a request from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to summarise the body of evidence in relation to communication of food‐related health risks and benefits ICF identified and reviewed the relevant scientific literature in six areas: (i) Consumer expectations about food production, food products and ingredients; (ii) Consumers’ preferred sources of information about food and food products; (iii) Consumer responses to risk benefit information about foods; (iv) Trade‐offs consumers make based on food risk and benefit information; (v) Consumers’ trust in different actors involved in the risk benefit analysis; (vi) The impact of controversies on risk and benefit perceptions. The review followed a structured process to identify the 48 studies included in this report. These are all articles from peer‐reviewed journals, published in the period from 2018 to 2022, mostly with a European Union context. The studies indicated that consumer knowledge of food safety can be improved. They illustrated that consumer perceptions of food safety do not always reflect reality. This could be explained by the fact that people's perceptions of food safety are shaped by a wide range of internal and external factors. New technologies, if presented as new and not well established, are perceived as carrying more risk than well‐known technologies. Consumers perceived chemical risks (such as pesticides) more negatively than naturally occurring risks. The literature also found that certified labelled food instilled a general feeling of trust among consumers. Overall, the studies confirmed that European consumers actively seek food safety information, find it important to stay informed and place high value on food safety and food traceability. The literature strongly highlighted the importance of individual values and beliefs in purchasing food. For communication to build trust, it must show empathy and respond to needs and to individual as well as culturally specific values.

Guidance on risk–benefit assessment of foods

“…The review by Jaskiewicz et al. ( 2023 ) covered relevant papers on food‐related health risks and benefits from 2018 to 2022, while the report by Rodes‐Sanchez et al. ( 2024 ) completed data gaps with a focus on consumer trade‐offs related to risks and benefits.…”

“…In a systematic review carried out for EFSA by Jaskiewicz et al. ( 2023 ), studies showed that consumer perceptions of food safety and health benefits vary widely and are shaped by several internal and external factors. For example, the perception of highly beneficial foods was found to rely more on individual personal beliefs and cultural background (e.g.…”

“…These are summarised in Figure G.1 below, augmented with papers from Jaskiewicz et al. ( 2023 ) or identified as relevant by EFSA's social science experts. Trust in science can both decrease risk perception and increase benefit perception (Boehm et al., 2021 ; Viscecchia et al., 2018 ), while a lack of trust in industry as a source of information would have the opposite effect (Boehm et al., 2021 ; van Dijk et al., 2011 ).…”

“…In Jaskiewicz et al. ( 2023 ), predominantly using studies in European countries, findings show that consumers are more likely to accept new food technologies if they are informed about their potential benefits alongside addressing perceived risks (Bearth et al., 2022 ; Busch et al., 2020 ; Hartmann et al., 2018 ). Some evidence indicates that information on the origin and traceability of food products can increase consumer perceptions both of a product's safety and its healthiness.…”

TV cooking shows—Consumer entertainment or education?

“…Although a closer look shows that this is mostly the case for older generations, we can also find evidence that young people cite television as one of the top sources of food safety information (Tobin et al, 2005). In this context, preferences for food safety information sources differ by country and population group (Jaskiewicz et al, 2023). Nevertheless, mass media play an increasingly important role in informing people, and consumers often use them as information sources, sometimes even unknowingly (Valkenburg et al, 2016).…”