DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC INFLUENCES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SAFETY IN FOOD SHOPPING

The perceived importance of food safety is instrumental in the success of consumer information programs to promote public health and to market safer foods. This paper examines how the belief of a household's main meal planner about the importance of food safety in food shopping is influenced by the person's or the household's demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results suggest food safety is more important to main meal planners who are female, older, more educated, non-working, have at-risk household members (elderly, young children, and pregnant women), or live in the Northeast and the South. Implications of the results on consumer education are discussed.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Influences of Labeling Policy and Media Coverage On the Demand for Butter and Margarine

food labeling, regulation, media coverage, trans fat, consumer demand, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Self-Perception of Weight and Health and Dietary Quality

perception, dietary quality, obesity, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Weight Control Strategies and Diet Quality

obesity, diet quality, nhanes, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, I00,

Consumer Research Needs from the Food and Drug Administration on Front-of-Package Nutritional Labeling

Americans have increasingly busy lifestyles and desire quick and nutritious food choices. To provide consumers with at-a-glance nutrition information, many food manufacturers have introduced front-of-package (FOP) nutritional labeling systems. The purpose of this review is to reach out to the marketing and public policy discipline by identifying research needs on FOP systems not only to aid decision making for federal agencies, but also to help advance research on this important topic. We describe the many FOP systems, the FDA\u27s regulatory background and approach to FOP systems, recent experimental research and gaps in knowledge, and research needs on FOP nutrition labeling

Bacterial Foodborne Disease: Medical Costs and Productivity Losses

Microbial pathogens in food cause an estimated 6.5-33 million cases of human illness and up to 9,000 deaths in the United States each year. Over 40 different foodborne microbial pathogens, including fungi, viruses, parasites, and bacteria, are believed to cause human illnesses. For six bacterial pathogens, the costs of human illness are estimated to be $9.3-$12.9 billion annually. Of these costs, $2.9-$6.7 billion are attributed to foodborne bacteria. These estimates were developed to provide analytical support for USDA's Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems rule for meat and poultry. (Note that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is not included in this report.) To estimate medical costs and productivity losses, ERS uses four severity categories for acute illnesses: those who did not visit a physician, visited a physician, were hospitalized, or died prematurely. The lifetime consequences of chronic disease are included in the cost estimates for E. coli O157:H7 and fetal listeriosis.cost-of-illness, foodborne pathogens, lost productivity, medical costs, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy,

DETERMINANTS OF UNSAFE HAMBURGER COOKING BEHAVIOR

We used a national hamburger preparation survey to estimate a simultaneous equation model of food safety knowledge, attitudes, and hamburger cooking behavior. The results suggest that food safety risk perceptions, palatability attributes, and food safety knowledge play important roles in determining food preparation behavior.Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

EXPLORING THE SUPPLY OF SAFER FOODS: A CASE STUDY OF OYSTER DEPURATION IN DIXIE AND LEVY COUNTIES, FLORIDA

Shellfish depuration, economic feasibility, restaurant, consumer acceptance, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Economic Assessment of Food Safety Regulations: The New Approach to Meat and Poultry Inspection

USDA is now requiring all Federally inspected meat and poultry processing and slaughter plants to implement a new system called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) to reduce potentially harmful microbial pathogens in the food supply. This report finds that the benefits of the new regulations, which are the medical costs and productivity losses that are prevented when foodborne illnesses are averted, will likely exceed the costs, which include spending by firms on sanitation, temperature control, planning and training, and testing. Other, nonregulatory approaches can also improve food safety, such as providing market incentives for pathogen reduction, irradiation, and education and labeling to promote safe food handling and thorough cooking.food safety, foodborne illness, microbial pathogens, meat and poultry inspection, HACCP, cost of illness, consumer education, irradiation, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries,

CONSUMER FOOD SAFETY BEHAVIOR: A CASE STUDY IN HAMBURGER COOKING AND ORDERING

More Americans are eating hamburgers more well-done than in the past, according to national surveys. This change reduced the risk of E. coli O157:H7 infection by an estimated 4.6 percent and reduced associated medical costs and productivity losses by an estimated $7.4 million annually. In a 1996 survey, respondents who were more concerned about the risk of foodborne illness cooked and ordered hamburgers more well-done than those who were less concerned. However, respondents who strongly preferred hamburgers less well-done cooked and ordered them that way, even after accounting for their concern about the risk of illness.hamburger doneness, ground beef, food safety, food safety education, E. coli O157:H7, consumer behavior, survey, risk, foodborne illness, risk perceptions, palatability, information, microbial pathogens, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,