The development of a risk communication model based upon food safety behaviours in the home
- Project start date: 1 April 2002
- Project status: Completed
- Project type: Food safety
- Discipline: Microbiology and food hygiene
- Author/s: Dr David McCleery, Queen’s University Belfast
- Collaborator/s: Prof J Phelan, University College Dublin
Research objective
By understanding and predicting consumer behaviour related to food safety, the project aimed to enhance the effectiveness of food risk communications and improve safety practices in the home. The objectives were to:
- map the factors influencing food safety behaviour in the home
- predict consumer responses to food risk communications.
- create a comprehensive risk communication model
- develop best practice guidelines for effectively conveying risk information to consumers.
Research report
- Title: Unpublished report
- Date: 5 September 2003
- Findings:
The project collected descriptive accounts of "normal" food safety practices through food diaries maintained by primary school children across the island of Ireland. This approach provided insights into typical food safety behaviours within domestic environments.
Following this, a novel multimedia approach was developed to assess consumers' ability to recognise food risks, helping to gauge their likely behaviour in response to food safety messages.
