Volume 29, Issue 2
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.344
CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF FOOD SAFETY RISKS AND COPING STRATEGIES
Abstract
This paper probes deep into the consumer perception of food safety risks, aiming to develop effective coping strategies for food safety incidents. Taking the melamine incident as an example, the author carried out several surveys on consumers about their understanding and perception of food safety risks. Then, a logit mode was adopted to study how the consumers perceive and cope with the risks. In addition, questionnaires were released to collect data on the changes in consumer trust and its influencing factors. The results show that how consumers perceive food safety risks is influenced by their trust in the public management ability of the government, their understanding of the risks, as well as the time of survey. On this basis, several coping measures were put forward to maintain consumer trust in the government and enterprises, and to stabilize the food consumption market. The research results provide the evidence for the government to formulate sound policies on food safety.
Keywords
Food Safety, Risk Perception, Risk Communication, Coping Behavior.