Consumer Perception of Food-Borne Illness Risks Before and After the 2006 E. Coli Events

Late in 2006 there were two well-publicized outbreaks of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in the United States. One is traced back to contaminated spinach and the other is connected to contaminated lettuce. By looking at the relative rankings of food-borne illness relative to other risks (i.e., war or terrorism, accidents at home, accidents away from home, environmental disaster, natural disaster, and infectious diseases), changes that occurred following the outbreaks are examined.

Risks are defined for the project participants as the chance of sudden, unexpected injury, illness, or death. Changes in consumer behavior and attitude are also examined. The ranking of risks associated with food-borne illness increases significantly following the outbreaks, but behaviors and attitudes do not change significantly.

The media play a role in increasing awareness. People who listen to news on TV or on the radio daily have significant changes in their ranking of food-borne illness risk; however, those that do not listen to media news as often do not have significant differences in their responses. Gender, age, and the presence of children in the home also mattered in determining significant changes in the ranking of food-borne illnesses.