Understanding
General objectives
Mediatised food outbreaks all too often lead to misinterpretations of the dangers and risks and thus increase the general consumer distrust of industrial food production. The word (food safety) risks therefore automatically generates a negative connotation for many. The challenge is to turn this into a positive feeling and involvement. Therefore, correctly understanding, communicating and interpreting food safety and its hazards and risks to public health is an important challenge for the future.
To achieve a better understanding of food safety, people and their behavior towards food safety risks need to be better understood. For this, one must be able to reach individuals or groups of individuals more effectively and positively influence their behavior.
The four main target groups
- Actors (with experts and laymen) within the chain from production to trade of food
- Suppliers and service providers of food companies
- Policy people
- Consumers (and their risk groups) and citizens
Concrete approaches within this concept focus on the one hand on positive food safety culture and climate (work organization) and on the other hand on food information (and risk) communication that try to find a solution (intervention strategies, communication tools, etc.) to these challenges through human sciences. Knowledge of social media is also important here.
Expected results
- Wider availability of knowledge and understanding about general food safety aspects, the hazards and risks, both within a food company, in the value chain and in society.
- Strategic prioritization and management decisions that result in more hygienic and food-safe practices and consequently a reduction of risks in the value chain.
- A more effective policy by the policy bodies and greater consumer confidence in the industrial production of food.