Consumer Exposure to High Risk Foods: Hamburgers, Eggs, and Chicken. C.-T. Jordan Lin, University of Florida/USDA Economic Research Service, 1301 New York Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, USA; and Katherine Ralston, USDA Economic Research Service, Washington, D.C.
The 1993 outbreak associated with E. coli O157:H7 contaminated hamburgers in the U.S. illustrates potential extent and severity of foodborne microbial illness. Although illness outbreaks attract a lot of attention, sporadic cases of foodborne illness are more commonplace and frequent. Many of these cases can be attributed to errors or slips in how foods are prepared and consumed at home. In order for risk assessment to characterize a risk and to provide relevant information to risk managers, exposure data are needed. Risk managers can also benefit from an understanding of consumer risk perceptions, particularly when consumer education is used to help achieve risk reduction. This paper will report some of the preliminary findings from two consumer surveys of how high-risk foods (hamburgers, eggs, and chicken) are prepared and consumed at home and away-from-home. The surveys cover the entire U.S. and focuses on actual consumer practices. One of the surveys also provides information on consumer perceptions of hamburger and its safety and other attributes related to different degrees of doneness.