Public understanding of imported food risk issues and messages in South Korea: Expert and lay views

Yeonhwa Ha, Purdue University

Abstract

Objective. To explore the public's understanding of imported food risks, barriers to effective imported food risk communication, methods to improve imported food risk communication, and views of organizations that deliver imported food risk messages from the perspective of imported food inspectors in the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) and college students in South Korea. Method: This study utilized two internet-based questionnaires which were adapted from a published paper (De Boer, McCarthy, Brennan, Kelly, & Ritson, 2005) for KFDA imported food inspectors and college students. Rating, ranking, and demographic questions were included in the questionnaires. Results: The results indicated that the KFDA inspectors and the college students perceived that the public‘s level of understanding of imported food risk issues is somewhat low. The majority of the KFDA inspectors and the college students believed that public awareness of imported food risk issues is driven by the media and the media contributes the most to improving understanding of imported food risk issues. However, the KFDA insptors and the college students believed that media coverage of imported food risk issues is often misleading in order to maximize their impact. The KFDA inspectors considered chemicals, mad cow disease and microbiological contamination as the public‘s three most important concerns while the college students believed the public is most concerned about chemicals, mad cow disease, and mislabeling. According to the views of the KFDA inspector, sensational reporting of imported food risks has the greatest detrimental effect on the public‘s ability to understand imported food risk issues. The college students believed lack of knowledge about imported food has the greatest influence on the extent to which the public fails to understand. Government agencies and the media were considered the most responsible and reliable sources of imported food risk communication by the college students and the KFDA inspectors. Conclusions: Despite limitations, this study is the first to explore the views of KFDA inspectors and college students on public perception of impored food risk issues in South Korea. The results of this study represent preliminary information that may be used to initiate improvements in the design and communication of imported food risk messages in Korea.

Degree

M.P.H.

Advisors

Almanza, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Nutrition|Public health

COinS