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Microbiological and chemical risks in foods: Public perception versus risk ranking.

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Názov: Microbiological and chemical risks in foods: Public perception versus risk ranking.
Autori: Yeak KYC; Food Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands., Thomopoulos R; IATE, Univ Montpellier, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France., Palmont P; Risk Assessment Department, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), French Agency for Food, Maisons-Alfort, France., Rivière G; Risk Assessment Department, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), French Agency for Food, Maisons-Alfort, France., den Besten HMW; Food Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands., Zwietering MH; Food Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands., Membré JM; Oniris VetAgroBio, INRAE, Secalim, Nantes, France. Electronic address: jeanne-marie.membre@inrae.fr.
Zdroj: Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) [Food Res Int] 2025 Dec; Vol. 221 (Pt 4), pp. 117586. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Sep 22.
Spôsob vydávania: Journal Article
Jazyk: English
Informácie o časopise: Publisher: Published on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology by Elsevier Applied Science Country of Publication: Canada NLM ID: 9210143 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7145 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09639969 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Food Res Int Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada : Published on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology by Elsevier Applied Science, c1992-
Výrazy zo slovníka MeSH: Food Contamination*/analysis , Food Microbiology* , Public Opinion* , Food Safety* , Infant Food*/microbiology , Infant Food*/analysis, Humans ; Risk Assessment ; Infant ; Infant Formula/microbiology ; Female ; Adult ; Male ; Fruit/microbiology ; Fruit/chemistry ; Middle Aged ; Perception ; European Union ; Young Adult
Abstrakt: Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Food safety is a critical public health concern, particularly regarding microbiological hazards (MHs) and chemical hazards (CHs) in infant foods. This study examined the risk perceptions of MHs and CHs associated with fruit puree and infant formula within the general public (n = 3585) across the European Union with a focus on comparing general public views against outcomes of recently published risk ranking results based on scientific assessment. In terms of public risk perception, 1) The general public perceived bacteria causing severe sickness (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes) or mild sickness (e.g., Bacillus cereus) as the highest concern and viruses or unknown hazards as the lowest; 2) The general public perceived the greatest and lowest concern for agricultural (e.g., pesticides) and fraudulent (e.g., melamine) contaminants, respectively; 3) The public exhibited a higher concern for CHs than MHs, likely due to a general distrust of chemicals in foods. In terms of comparison between public perception and risk ranking, 1) public perception of hazard severity showed limited alignment with risk rankings (ρ = 0.67 for MHs and ρ = 0.15 for CHs); 2) in terms of risk, public perception aligned well with risk rankings for MH risks, with (ρ = 0.70 for infant formula and ρ = 0.97 for fruit puree). In contrast for CH risks, there was a strong misalignment between public perception and risk rankings showing correlation coefficients of ρ = -0.70 for infant formula and ρ = -0.20 for fruit puree. The public tended to overestimate risks from agricultural and packaging-related chemicals while underestimating risks associated with environmental and natural contaminants. These findings highlight the need for targeted communication strategies to bridge the gap between public perception and risk rankings based on scientific assessment, particularly for chemical risks. Clear communication of scientific evidence, addressing misconceptions, and tailoring messages to audience needs could enhance public awareness and trigger appropriate actions.
(Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Chemical hazards; Food safety; Foodborne disease; Infant and young children; Risk assessment; Risk communication; Risk perception
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20251104 Date Completed: 20251104 Latest Revision: 20251104
Update Code: 20251104
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117586
PMID: 41185336
Databáza: MEDLINE
Popis
Abstrakt:Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.<br />Food safety is a critical public health concern, particularly regarding microbiological hazards (MHs) and chemical hazards (CHs) in infant foods. This study examined the risk perceptions of MHs and CHs associated with fruit puree and infant formula within the general public (n = 3585) across the European Union with a focus on comparing general public views against outcomes of recently published risk ranking results based on scientific assessment. In terms of public risk perception, 1) The general public perceived bacteria causing severe sickness (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes) or mild sickness (e.g., Bacillus cereus) as the highest concern and viruses or unknown hazards as the lowest; 2) The general public perceived the greatest and lowest concern for agricultural (e.g., pesticides) and fraudulent (e.g., melamine) contaminants, respectively; 3) The public exhibited a higher concern for CHs than MHs, likely due to a general distrust of chemicals in foods. In terms of comparison between public perception and risk ranking, 1) public perception of hazard severity showed limited alignment with risk rankings (ρ = 0.67 for MHs and ρ = 0.15 for CHs); 2) in terms of risk, public perception aligned well with risk rankings for MH risks, with (ρ = 0.70 for infant formula and ρ = 0.97 for fruit puree). In contrast for CH risks, there was a strong misalignment between public perception and risk rankings showing correlation coefficients of ρ = -0.70 for infant formula and ρ = -0.20 for fruit puree. The public tended to overestimate risks from agricultural and packaging-related chemicals while underestimating risks associated with environmental and natural contaminants. These findings highlight the need for targeted communication strategies to bridge the gap between public perception and risk rankings based on scientific assessment, particularly for chemical risks. Clear communication of scientific evidence, addressing misconceptions, and tailoring messages to audience needs could enhance public awareness and trigger appropriate actions.<br /> (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
ISSN:1873-7145
DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117586