Consumer responses to communication about food risk management

Consumer perceptions of best practice in food risk communication and management: Implications for risk analysis policy

“…It was hypothesized that increased information about risk uncertainty and variability (as stipulated in the framework) would improve consumer confidence in risk management. As part of this, direct comparisons were made between ''technological" and ''natural" food hazards, as it was expected that technological food risks would be associated with higher risk perceptions than ''natural" food risks (Van Dijk et al, 2008). Additional test of the proposed communication strategies was provided through systematic analysis of consumer ''recollections" of how well food risk incidents had been managed in the past.…”

“…the extent to which the risk differentially affects different segments of the population, for example because of differences in health status or exposure) and uncertainty (the extent to which there is scientific certainty about the level of risk) on consumer perceptions of the efficacy of institutional risk management (Van Dijk et al, 2008). Three food hazards were selected for the information experiment.…”

Moral and Instrumental Norms in Food Risk Communication

“…Lack of trust will severely impede the agent's future efforts in risk communication (Frewer et al, 1996;Finucane and Holup, 2005;Löfstedt, 2005Löfstedt, , 2006Pidgeon, 2003, 2004). Meijboom et al (2006) and van Dijk et al (2008) specifically discuss and assert the importance of trust and openness in the food sector.…”

Including social impact assessment in food safety governance

“…potentially due to variation in education levels, ethnicity, experience with food-illness, attitude towards the hazard (Tucker, Whaley, & Sharp, 2006), socioeconomic status, gender (Frewer, 2000;Redmond & Griffith, 2005), or region (Frewer, 2000;Houghton et al, 2006). Risk-benefit communication must be in line with stakeholder needs for various hazard types, especially in terms of information that relates to the integration of positive and negative impacts, which may have different levels of associated uncertainty or risk variability (Frewer, 2004;Van Dijk et al, 2008). Overall, information regarding stakeholder and public risk perception and potential social impacts will provide valuable insight into the risk-benefit communication process, necessary to inform consumer decisionmaking.…”