Discourses of risk in lay accounts of microbiological safety and BSE: a qualitative interview study

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative study of lay understandings of food risks, focusing on discourses of risk in lay accounts of microbiological safety and BSE. The research was conducted using interpretive sociological methods. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 lay participants from a range of social backgrounds and perspectives on food issues. The qualitative data were analysed thematically, drawing on principles and techniques derived from Grounded Theory approaches. Several key themes relating to risk emerged: these included, the role of experience in interpreting vulnerability to food risks, the time-scale of foods risks, the severity of the consequences of food risks, the incidence of food risks (and comparative risk), personal risk management strategies (and the ‘salience’ of food risks), risk and trusted food sources, responsibility for regulating food risks and the ‘politics’ of food risks. This paper presents an interpretive account of these themes and discusses the implications of the findings for a sociological analysis of food risks.

Keywords:

• risk
• food
• safety
• lay understanding
• qualitative research

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank all the participants in this study who willingly gave their time to be interviewed and to acknowledge the guidance provided by Professor Lesley Doyal at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, who was the principal academic advisor for this study. Thanks also to the two anonymous reviewers who provided helpful feedback on the first draft of this paper.