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PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF FOOD RECALLS AND PRODUCTION SAFETY: TWO SURVEYS OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
Author(s) -
STEELFISHER GILLIAN,
WELDON KATHLEEN,
BENSON JOHN M.,
BLENDON ROBERT J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of food safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1745-4565
pISSN - 0149-6085
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4565.2010.00246.x
Subject(s) - product (mathematics) , food safety , marketing , advertising , food processing , business , ethnic group , perception , public relations , medicine , political science , psychology , geometry , mathematics , pathology , law , neuroscience
This study uses two national telephone surveys to assess the American public's response to major food recalls, including the 2009 peanut product recall and recalls in 2006–2008, such as spinach and ground beef. Many Americans are alerted to major food recalls (55–93%), but there are important gaps in their understanding of which foods are included in multiproduct recalls. A quarter of Americans (27%) believe that they did not have enough information to protect themselves and their families in the latest peanut product recall, although few (18%) sought out information. Nearly all Americans believe that food produced domestically is safe (96%), but many have little confidence in the food safety infrastructure. Furthermore, many believe that imported foods, particularly from China or Mexico, are not safe (56%; 47%). In general, racial/ethnic minorities are less likely to have information about recalls and less likely than White people to have confidence in the food safety infrastructure.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The findings of these two surveys suggest important improvements for future communication efforts concerning major food recalls. Future communications should focus more on providing actionable information about what products are included in a recall and how to identify them on store and kitchen shelves. The American public may also benefit from information provided through channels that do not require any extra effort on their part, like television and radio. Explicit encouragement to let friends and family know about recalls may also help get the message out. Communications efforts may need to restore public confidence in our food safety systems in order to ensure greater compliance to messages delivered at the time of an outbreak. Finally, it will be important to reach out actively to racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African‐Americans (AA), with effective information about recalls and foodborne illness.