Developing Salient Food - Risk Communication for Different Hazards. L. J. Frewer and S. Miles, The Institute of Food Research, Earley Gate, Reading, RG6 6BZ, United Kingdom
Effective risk communication about food hazards is dependent on both risk perceptions, and the social context in which the hazard is embedded. The results of a meta-analysis of seven different studies on risk communication about different food-related risks indicated that, for technological hazards, effective communication is very much dependent on source characteristics such as trust. In the case of lifestyle hazards such as food poisoning, effective risk communication is dependent on reducing "optimistic bias", but is less influenced by context. For either type of hazard, it is essential that actual public concerns are addressed in risk communications. Laddering, a semi-structured interview technique, was used to elicit respondent concerns about the risks of food poisoning, BSE, genetic modification, pesticide use and high fat diets. This method enabled respondents (n=30) to express their own concerns about the risks. The results were validated in larger samples (n=300). The results indicated that some concerns (for example, human health) were consistent across hazard types. However, although health may be an important basic value affecting perceptions of different kinds of hazards, specific health concerns may be very different depending on hazard characterization. Other types of concern (for example, unnaturalness) are unique to particular hazards. In terms of risk communication policy development, a balance must be struck in developing communication which treats hazards as being unique in terms of their risk profiles, and treating all concerns as identical. However, communication must reflect the most salient concerns for particular hazards.
Work supported by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
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