Consumer Distrust about E-numbers: A Qualitative Study among Food Experts

Abstract

Food additives (E-numbers) are allowed in foods, but many consumers have a negative perception of them. The objective was to study the opinion of food experts about the causes and ways to reduce consumer distrust about E-numbers. Thirteen food experts from universities, research institutes, the government, food industry organisations, media, a nutrition information organisation, a consumer association and two other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were interviewed with a semi-structured topic list, based on a model of risk perception. Interviews were transcribed, coded by an open-coding approach and analysed. Results indicated that, according to food experts, consumer distrust of E-numbers arose from negative communication by traditional media, social media and books. Food experts suggested that the information sources and the reliability of E-number information are important for consumers. Food experts also suggested reducing consumer distrust by avoiding negative label claims and making collective agreements with all parties about honest and transparent communication. According to interviewed food experts, food companies need to explain clearly and honestly why they use E-numbers in food. A nutrition information organisation and the government were often mentioned as appropriate parties to undertake action. The interviews suggested that consumers had no confidence in the food industry.

Sweet Talk: A Qualitative Study Exploring Attitudes towards Sugar, Sweeteners and Sweet-Tasting Foods in the United Kingdom

“…Subthemes within this theme also gave the responsibility for sugar and sweetener consumption to governments and the food industry, and permitted an even further reduced role for the individual through ideas of ‘deception’. Previous research has also revealed this blame towards external organizations [ 12 , 13 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 23 , 57 ], and this distrust in health professionals, government agencies, and in the food industry [ 13 , 16 , 23 , 58 , 59 ].…”

Factors Influencing Consumers’ Attitude Towards Biopreservatives

“…The questionnaire consists of questions on the knowledge of biopreservatives to investigate the awareness about the preservatives. Some of these questions contained definitions from the EU Regulation, which indirectly allowed us to evaluate whether the legislation is understandable for the consumer or if there is an actual lack of clarity from the regulatory point of view, as highlighted on more than one occasion in the literature about novel food products or technologies [37][38][39]. In particular, the focus of the investigation was on consumer knowledge of the definition of preservative and the difference between natural and synthetic preservatives.…”

Risk perception related to food

“…Although food additives are useful ingredients in the food industry, with some benefits for consumers, being strictly regulated by governmental authorities, the rejection of their presence in food is increasing in the last decades (Szűcs et al, 2019;van Gunst & Roodenburg, 2019). On the Netherlands, food experts indicated that low reliability in the food industry and preponderance of negative information about food additives on the internet and social networks are the main causes of high risk perception (van Gunst & Roodenburg, 2019). The authors stated that forms of communication with the public, including labeling, need to be improved to overcome this barrier and increase acceptance of these substances.…”