Development and Application of an Alert System to Detect Cases of Food Poisoning in Japan

Maeyashiki, Akie; Akahane, Manabu; Sugiura, Hiroaki; Ohkusa, Yasushi; Okabe, Nobuhiko; Imamura, Tomoaki

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156395

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The data were collected only from respondents registered with an web-based panel company, thus, there may have been bias. Nonetheless, panel-based surveys have been widely used in recent years [19][20][21][22][23]. Second, because the participants in this study were recruited using an equal allocation of men and women by age group, they may not be representative of the country's population by age group or place of residence as a whole.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Awareness of Food Defense Measures at Food Delivery Service Providers and Food Manufacturers: Web-Based Consumer Survey Study

Akahane,

Kanagawa,

Takahata

et al. 2023

JMIR Form Res

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Background Various stages of the food chain, from production to processing to distribution, can impact food safety. The concept of “food defense” has emerged as a countermeasure against intentional contamination of food with foreign substances. Although knowledge of food hygiene is common among consumers, there are currently no reports of consumer surveys on food defense. Objective This study aims to investigate consumer awareness of food defense and food safety. We analyzed the results focusing on how consumers behave when they find abnormalities in food to further our knowledge on promoting food defense measures. Methods Participants completed a web-based questionnaire that included items related to awareness of food safety and food defense, as well as actions to be taken in cases of food abnormalities, such as contamination by foreign substances, the presence of a bad smell in purchased food, and the inclusion of extra items not selected by the individual. The participants were asked to indicate their preference among the 5 suggested actions in each case using a 6-point Likert scale. Data analysis involved aggregating responses into binary values. Stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between selected actions and questionnaire items, such as sex, age, and personality. Results A total of 1442 respondents completed the survey, and the majority of participants placed importance on food safety when making food purchases. The recognition of each term was as follows: 95.2% (n=1373) for “food security and safety,” 95.6% (n=1379) for “food hygiene,” and 17.1% (n=247) for “food defense.” The percentages of those who answered that they would “eat without worrying” in the case of “contamination by foreign substances,” “bad smell,” or “including unpurchased product” in the frozen food they purchased were 9.1% (n=131), 4.8% (n=69), and 30.7% (n=443), respectively. The results showed that contacting the manufacturer was the most common action when faced with contaminated food or food with a bad smell. Interestingly, a significant percentage of respondents indicated they would upload the issue on social networking sites. Logistic regression analysis revealed that male participants and the younger generation were more likely to choose the option of eating contaminated food without worrying. Additionally, the tendency to upload the issue on social networking sites was higher among respondents who were sociable and brand-conscious. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that if food intentionally contaminated with a foreign substance is sold and delivered to consumers, it is possible consumers may eat it and experience health problems. Therefore, it is crucial for not only food manufacturers but also food delivery service providers to consider food defense measures such as protecting food from intentional contamination. Additionally, promoting consumer education and awareness regarding food defense can contribute to enhancing food safety throughout the food chain.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Awareness of Food Defense Measures at Food Delivery Service Providers and Food Manufacturers: Web-Based Consumer Survey Study

Akahane,

Kanagawa,

Takahata

et al. 2023

JMIR Form Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Food terrorism is the act of intentionally contaminating food using poisonous substances to achieve political goals, causing harm to people and stirring up social unrest. Food defense represents an effort to prevent the intentional contamination of food [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, widespread attention has been directed to the danger of so-called food terrorism worldwide and building food defense [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Willingness to Pay for Food Defense and Food Hygiene in Japan: Cross-Sectional Study

Matsumoto,

Kanagawa,

Nagoshi

et al. 2023

Interact J Med Res

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Background In Japan, incidents of falsified expiration dates on popular cookie brands and health hazards associated with frozen Chinese dumplings have raised food safety awareness. To prevent the intentional contamination of food by foreign substances, large food manufacturing companies have adopted the concept of food defense. Objective The aim of this study was to assess people’s willingness to pay for food protection measures. In addition, the impact of participants’ personalities and considerations regarding their purchase choices on how much they were willing to pay when shopping for food and other products were measured. Methods A questionnaire on willingness to pay for food hygiene and food defense was administered via a web survey and 1414 responses were included in the analysis. Univariate logistic regression analyses were performed with individuals willing and unwilling to pay additional costs as the objective variable and other questionnaire items as explanatory variables. A principal component analysis was performed on 12 questions regarding how much additional money people were willing to pay, and the principal component scores and other questions were examined for implications and other information. Results Approximately one-third of the respondents stated that they were unwilling to pay additional costs and reported a willingness to consume delivery food even if it contained items that were not part of the original order. The first principal component reflected the extent to which people were willing to pay additional money, and if so, how much. This tendency existed even if the individual foods and amounts varied. The third principal component reflected the amount of extra money that people were willing to pay, which was determined by the amount people had to pay toward food safety measures. Those who answered “zero” were more likely to believe that consumers should not have to pay to ensure food safety. The second principal component reflected an axis separating food defense and food hygiene. Some items not directly related to food were correlated with this axis. Conclusions In Japan, the concept of food hygiene is well-established and is generally taken for granted. In contrast, the concept of food defense is relatively new and has not yet fully penetrated the Japanese market. Our research shows that people who think that clothing brands provided added value to clothing products may have similar feelings about food defense. In addition, food hygiene efforts to prevent outbreaks of food poisoning are common in Japan and have been established as the basis of food safety. While food defense efforts are spreading, mainly in companies, it is presumed that they are valuable for the general public as supplementary measures to routine (or basic) food hygiene.

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Consumer Willingness to Pay for Food Defense and Food Hygiene in Japan: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

Matsumoto,

Kanagawa,

Nagoshi

et al. 2022

Preprint

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BACKGROUND In Japan, incidents of falsified expiration dates on popular cookie brands and health hazards associated with frozen Chinese dumplings have raised food safety awareness. To prevent the intentional contamination of food by foreign substances, large food manufacturing companies have adopted the concept of food defense. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess people’s willingness to pay for food protection measures. In addition, the impact of participants’ personalities and considerations regarding their purchase choices on how much they were willing to pay when shopping for food and other products were measured. METHODS A questionnaire on willingness to pay for food hygiene and food defense was administered via a web survey and 1414 responses were included in the analysis. Univariate logistic regression analyses were performed with individuals willing and unwilling to pay additional costs as the objective variable and other questionnaire items as explanatory variables. A principal component analysis was performed on 12 questions regarding how much additional money people were willing to pay, and the principal component scores and other questions were examined for implications and other information. RESULTS Approximately one-third of the respondents stated that they were unwilling to pay additional costs and reported a willingness to consume delivery food even if it contained items that were not part of the original order. The first principal component reflected the extent to which people were willing to pay additional money, and if so, how much. This tendency existed even if the individual foods and amounts varied. The third principal component reflected the amount of extra money that people were willing to pay, which was determined by the amount people had to pay toward food safety measures. Those who answered “zero” were more likely to believe that consumers should not have to pay to ensure food safety. The second principal component reflected an axis separating food defense and food hygiene. Some items not directly related to food were correlated with this axis. CONCLUSIONS In Japan, the concept of food hygiene is well-established and is generally taken for granted. In contrast, the concept of food defense is relatively new and has not yet fully penetrated the Japanese market. Our research shows that people who think that clothing brands provided added value to clothing products may have similar feelings about food defense. In addition, food hygiene efforts to prevent outbreaks of food poisoning are common in Japan and have been established as the basis of food safety. While food defense efforts are spreading, mainly in companies, it is presumed that they are valuable for the general public as supplementary measures to routine (or basic) food hygiene.

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Development and Application of an Alert System to Detect Cases of Food Poisoning in Japan

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Consumer Awareness of Food Defense Measures at Food Delivery Service Providers and Food Manufacturers: Web-Based Consumer Survey Study

Consumer Awareness of Food Defense Measures at Food Delivery Service Providers and Food Manufacturers: Web-Based Consumer Survey Study

Consumer Willingness to Pay for Food Defense and Food Hygiene in Japan: Cross-Sectional Study

Consumer Willingness to Pay for Food Defense and Food Hygiene in Japan: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

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