Italian consumers’ attitudes towards food risks: self-protective and non-self-protective profiles for effective risk communication

Abstract

The study aims to assess Italian consumers’ attitudes towards food risks and seeks to outline their socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics on the basis of their attitudes (self-protective and non-self-protective) towards food risks. Using the Computer-assisted telephone interviewing survey method, a sample of 1000 Italian consumers was interviewed on risk perception issues and general eating habits. Factor analyses on the consumers’ propensities to read the label when buying a food product for the first time, their propensities to seek food-related information and their perceived levels of exposure to food risks have enabled us to define Italian consumers’ attitudes towards food risks. Distinguishing between consumers with more self-protective attitudes and those with less self-protective attitudes and identifying their distinctive socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics (e.g. gender, age, the frequency with which respondents do grocery shopping and the channels used for further inquiry) are crucial for communication campaigns aimed at reducing consumers’ exposure to food risks.

Keywords:

• food risk communication
• attitudes towards food risks
• food labels
• information search
• Italy

Notes

1. The study was carried out in accordance with the values that support the methodology of scientific research of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie: transparency, consistency rules, privacy protection, sustainability, etc., which are the essential requirements of the Ethics Committee of the Istituto.