Food risks, old and new

Abstract

New forms of food production, processing and distribution have resulted in rising consumer concern over food safety and quality. This study draws upon data from an Australia-wide survey to evaluate whether consumer perceptions towards various types of food risks differ according to demographic factors. This study has two distinct foci: those concerned with new, and those concerned with traditional, food risks. First, we investigate attitudes and concerns towards food additives and food regulation, characterized by new risks associated with chemicals, pesticides and food additives, as well as industry safeguards and issues of regulation in regard to these modern factors. Second, we consider more traditional types of risk associated with food contamination, such as spoilage and being past the used-by date. Our research suggests that if the risk in question is traditional, preventable and specific knowledge is required in order to avoid it, people who earn less than $25,000 per year, those who have not completed high school and religious people tend to be more concerned. In contrast, if the risk is modern, affects everyone equally, and the effects are not obvious or immediate, women, people with more education and older people tend to be more concerned. This study supports previous research which shows that various groups within society understand and respond to food safety risks differently.