Research On Consumer Food Safety Regulation Perception And Information Communication Strategy

BackgroundIn recent years,food safety incidents have occurred frequently and become a focus of social and public concerns.Taking the promulgation and implementation of the national Food Safety Law in 2009 as a symbol,the government adopted a series of measures,including legislation,promoting institutional reforms,and expanding the scale of sampling inspections,to try to improve the food safety situation.However,the problem has not been effectively eradicated.On the contrary,the public's doubts and concerns about the food safety regulatory system continue to persist.The food safety problem is not just the food quality risk issue itself.How to maintain the credibility of the regulatory system and enhance consumer confidence has become the key to be solved in the food safety regulation field.According to the food risk analysis framework advocated by the World Health Organization/Codex Alimentarius Commission,in a good food risk regulatory system,risk communication is a key step for mantaining of consumer confidence.New consensus in the academic field suggest that expanding food safety risk communication into food safety information communication will increase consumer confidence futher.In the context of food safety information communication,the 'Food Safety Regulatory Information Communication(FSRIC)' specifically refers to the process of exchange and interaction of food safety regulatory measures,contents,and other information with stakeholders.It has the effect of promoting public understanding of regulations,and is very crucial for consumer confidence promoting.According to the Theory of Risk Perception,FSRIC should use scientific strategies based on consumer food safety regulatory perception(FSRP).The FSRP determines the consumer's focus on food safety regulation,needs and preferences,which is essential for understanding of the relationship between consumers and food safety regulation,and ensures the pertinence and effectiveness of information communication.At present,in China,the food safety risk communication,especially FSRIC,is still in a starting stage,and a scientific and effective communication mechanism has not been formed.At the same time,the regulatory authorities lack sufficient understanding of consumer food supervision during the formulation and implementation of policies.In academic areas,according to our investigations,domestic studies maily focused on food product risk factors,few literatures can be founded about research on regulation perception or regulatory information communication.Most foreign studies are carried under the western social system and cultural background.There is a lack of specific evaluation or description of Chinese consumers' perception,and the relevant communication strategies cannot be directly applied to the current regulatory condition in China.How do Chinese consumers consider the food safety regulation currently?What are the elements of consumers,FSRP?How should government agencies conduct FSRIC and optimize the regulatory system?Those issues closely related to demands of the regulatory system have not yet been answered by researches.ObjectivesThis research starts with the Chinese consumers' FSRP to analyzes its current status and characteristics of cognition.Then based on the regulation condition,we present strategies for FSRIC,and propose policy recommendations for improving of China's food safety regulatory system.Specific research goals include:1.Construct a theoretical model for Chinese consumer's FSRP;2.Establish a index system for evaluation of Chinese consumer FSRP,and investgate the linkages and features among the perception characters;3.Based on the analysis of consumer FSRP,propose FSRIC strategies and confirm their effects.4.Propose policy suggestions from the perspectives of China's regulatory mechanism construction and information communication.MethodsThis study integrates theoretical foundations such as risk perception theory,psychometric paradigm,risk communication theory,which deconstructs the formation process of consumer FSRP from the perspective of risk perception,uses the psychometric evaluation to get FSRP elements and describe its characteristic,and interferes the result of FSRP by specific FSRIC.The methods used in this study mainly include:1.Literature research:To demonstrate the theoretical basis and logical framework of the entire research on the basis of lierature studies on risk perception theory,psychometric paradigm,and risk communication theory.To propose the theoretical model for Chinese consumer's FSRP.To provide references for communication strategy presentation,and the design,practice,and other aspects for each part of the research.2.Interview:Including two parts:Consumer interview:According to the quota sampling method,based on the age distribution of the population,113 interviewees were selected in Jinan City to conduct interviews based on the Kelly Grid Technique,in order to understand consumers'general perception about food safety regulation system,and construct the a index system for evaluation.Regulator interview:In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 food safety regulators sampled by convenient sampling method from provincial and city level FDA departments in Shandong.Responding to the results of consumer study,we collected the views of food safety regulators around 6 themes,to study the perception differecens between consumers and regulators,analyze the reasons,and find out the barriers against information communication,which would make the policy suggestions more realistic.3.Survey:Using the questionnaire based on the index system of Chinese consumer FSRP,3269 valid samples were collected from Beijing,Shanghai,Jinan and Taiyuan according to the quota sampling method based on the age distribution of the population.The structural equation model was used to analyze the survey data,to test the fitting of theory model for actual data.The characteristics of Chinese consumer FSRP were analyzed according to the quantitative relationships among the perception characters.4.Delphi study:Based on the characteristics of consumer FSRP,an alternative set ofFSRIC strategies was proposed.30 experts in the field of food safety were invited for two rounds of Delphi method consultation,evaluating the strategies from 2 aspects of effectiveness and feasibility.5.Situational simulation test:Questionnaires of 3 typical food safety risk situations were designed,randomly combined with "+" and"-" expression of communicaiton strategies,which were sent to participants and get back for consumer evaluations.Based on the quota sampling method based on the age distributions,1512 valid questionnaires were collected in Shanghai,Jinan and Taiyuan,to test onsumers'responses to different FSRIC strategies.Results1.Characteristics of Chinese consumer FSRPIn general,Chinese consumers showed a high degree of concern in food safety status,with a high proportion of negative evaluations.According to the model's fitting result,the Chinese consumer FSRP can be measured by the three dimensions of Regulatory Subject,Regulatory Measures,and Food Safety Incidents,including 23 perception characters.Moreover,the dimension of Regulatory Measures can be further divided into three sub dimensions of Accessibility,Satisfaction and Information Publication.Among the three dimensions,the regulatory body has the most significant effect on FSRP(the coefficient is 0.535),followed by Food Safety Incidents(0.419),and the effect coefficient of Regulatory Measures is 0.375.According to the analysis of the effects of various perception characters,the leading role of the enlightening system in the cognition of China's consumer food safety supervision is obvious.The focus of public attention on supervision is biased towards the intuitive impression of the regulatory subject and results,while lack in understanding of the professional and technical factors in the regulatory activities.2.Food safety regulatory risk communication strategyThis study proposed 12 FSRIC strategies,covering the three major aspects of communication subjects,communication contents and communication methods.The most concentrated opinions of the experts highlighted the aspects of responsibility,the awareness of regulatory activities,transparency,consumer protection,etc.,which were basically consistent with the effects of the perception elements in the structural equation model.The negative opinions focused on regulatory uncertainty,negative news publications,etc.The main reason was that the current consumer tend to have a high expectations of government with a low rationality with irritating information.3.Impact of FSRIC strategies on consumer FSRPThrough the testing of 6 communication strategies in three typical food safety risk scenarios,each communication strategy showed a significant impact on consumers'evaluations.The evaluation of the "+" expressions were higher than the"-"ones.This result confirmed the positive effect of FSRIC on improving consumers' FSRP.The results also show that the effect of the same FSRIC Strategic may be different in various food safety risk situations.4.Perception differences between regulators and consumersThe differences of FSRP between Chinese consumers and regulators were confrimed by the study,especially in the three aspects of food safety situation,ragulators responsibility and the regulation intensity.Based on the analysis of the ragulators5 statements,the perception difference can be attibuted to 3 reasons:First,the objective development level of the food safety regulatory system can not meet consumer expectations in the short term;Second,the goals of the food safety regulatory system are iversified,which has not implemented risk based and consumer priority strategy.Third,the current risk communication system is still incomplete,and the risk communication needs to be improved.Conclusion and Policy SuggestionsThe main conclusions of this research include:1.Consumers have low recognition of food safety regulation2.Chinese consumers' FSRP partial biased towards intuitive impression.3.Appropriate FSRIC strategies can positively influence consumer FSRP.4.The lack of information communication mechanism and the backwardness of the overall supervision model are key issues that should be addressed in the optimization of the regulatory system.The proposed policy recommendations include:1.Pay attention to maintenance of visual image of food safety regulationIt is recommended to highlight the implementation of the responsibility of the supervisory body in specific regulatory activities,highlight consumer protection awareness,increase the transparency and visibility of food safety supervision work,and maintain a good image of supervision;at the same time,avoid the implementation of regulatory measures in place and illegal costs.Low level of irritability causes negative effects.2.Actively and scientifically conduct FSRICIt is recommended that the regulatory authorities incorporate food safety regulatory information exchange into risk communication work,and communicate to consumers the measures taken by the government to improve the food safety supervision system;it is recommended to vigorously promote the publicity and popularization of food safety regulatory knowledge and common sense of food regulations for food safety.The realization of social co-governance goals actively creates conditions;it is recommended that scientific communication strategies be applied in the handling of food safety incidents and information exchanges in order to enhance consumers' evaluation of regulatory activities.3.Improve the FSRIC mechanismIt is recommended that food safety supervision departments accelerate the development of the top-level design of food safety regulatory information exchange and provide basis for the orderly development of information exchange at all levels;it is recommended to strengthen resource input and guarantee for food safety supervision and exchange work,and to promote the normalization and regularization of exchange work.It is recommended that efforts be made to strengthen the training and storage of food safety risk exchange and food safety supervision information exchange professionals.4.Adjusting the supervision system based on the cognitive characteristics of China's consumer food safety supervisionIt is recommended that the food safety supervision department fully consider the cognitive characteristics of consumers in the process of the construction of supervision systems and the formulation of regulatory measures,and increase the efficiency and social influence of supervision work.5.Optimize the general food safety regulation strategyIt is proposed to promote the in-depth reform of the overall model of China's food safety supervision,gradually transforming the current administratively-led,sampling-based model into a risk-based,scientific-based,and consumer-protected monitoring model.