Evaluating Alternatives for Communicating About Food Risk

Ann Fisher
Robert King
Donald J. Epp
J. Lynne Brown
Audrey N. Maretzki

This article describes the development and preliminary evaluation of model materials designed as one step in helping consumers understand how scientists assess food risks, how that information is used in food safety policy decisions, and what individuals can do to protect themselves from residual risks. Focus groups provided feedback on draft materials, and experts reviewed the simplified descriptions of specific food risks to assure consistency with current scientific knowledge. We used pilot tests to examine (1) whether initial factual questions would prompt more learning, and (2) the relative effectiveness of two formats: a paper version similar to typical government pamphlets and an interactive computer version. People learned about food safety from either version. There was little evidence that the "prompting" questions led to more learning, nor did subjects learn more from the computer version. Results suggest that the materials made respondents more comfortable about their own ability to choose and prepare safe food and increased their confidence in actions taken by government and industry.
This research was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Extension Service (USDA/ES) under Cooperative agreement No. 91-EFSQ-1-4004. Additional analysis and copies of the model materials are available in Understanding Food Safety Policy--Issues Report on Model Materials, by Ann Fisher, Robert King, William Hewitt, Donald J. Epp, Kelly Finley, J. Lynne Brown, and Audrey N. Maretzki, AE&RS # 239, College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

Invaluable research assistance was provided by graduate assistant William Hewitt and undergraduate assistant Kelly Finley.

The Institutional Review Board of Pennsylvania State University approved the use of human subjects for this research April 8, 1991.

A poster version of interim results was displayed at the December 1992 annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis, San Diego, CA. Summary results were presented at the June, 1993 Environment, Culture, and Food Diversity Conference, University Park, PA.

Ann Fisher is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the Pennsylvania State University. Robert King, a former Graduate Assistant, is currently in the Department of Agriculture and Extension at PSU. Donald J. Epp is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at PSU. Lynne Brown is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science at PSU, and Audrey N. Maratzki is a Professor in the Department of Food Science at PSU.
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