SRA-E Lisbon 2017

Food risks are of great concern for consumers, who face daily food choices and must cope with possible hazards. To succeed in increasing knowledge about correct food-handling practices in the domestic environment, communication materials should be designed according to the target’s beliefs, perceptions and attitudes about these risks. In addition, the socio-cultural context and the geographic territory should be regarded as factors that might influence personal strategies to mitigate risks.
To this extent, this study intended to gain a deeper understanding of what people living in the Triveneto area (Northeast Italy) consider safe or risky foodstuffs and what strategies they adopt to cope with these risks. Four exploratory focus groups were conducted in the major towns of the target area (N = 45). A semi-structured interview was used that focused on beliefs about food risks, the use of information and media sources in relation to food risk, and the behaviours adopted when eating outside the home.
Discussions revealed the existence of a widespread perception of food risks that can be considered as strongly rooted in the social context of the reference group. Food risks were mainly associated with microbiological contaminations and foodborne infections and with the handling and consumption of eggs, meat and fresh products that expire in a short time. Food risk perceptions emerged as a two-dimensional construct based on two dimensions, quality warranties and perceived level of food controllability, which also served as mitigation strategies, together with the search for good hygiene conditions to avoid microbiological risk, especially outside the home. Findings also showed that consumers rely on personal knowledge as a successful strategy for risk avoidance, suggesting that food choices often reflect compromises in everyday life. Although the respondents seemed to be quite informed about food risks, a fatalistic sense of incomplete control was predominant in response to the lack of precise information on recognizing and preventing food risks.
The investigation of food risk perceptions proved to be crucial to discover which topics require deeper knowledge and understanding by consumers to improve perceptions. Results might represent a starting point for public health authorities to inform food risk communication and to increase compliance with responsible behaviours for risk mitigation.