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202409 Fresh Quarterly Issue 26 05 Paula Bester
Issue 26September 2024

Manage food-safety better

Consumers’ ideas about high-risk foods are not always reality- or evidence-based. By Engela Duvenage.

The story of how Scottish physician James Lind used citrus fruit to successfully treat scurvy among sailors in 1747 is a classic example of the health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables.

These days, however, some consumers shy away from fresh produce because of disinformation and scepticism about the impact of pesticides and other plant-protection products on their health and the environment, argued Paula Bester, food-safety specialist at the Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa.

“According to research, consumers make trade-offs between their health, the environment, and social and economic factors based on the information they receive, or at least their interpretation of it,” she said. “Conflicting information may lead people to prioritise perceived risks over benefits.”

A 2023 European Food Safety Authority supporting publication reports that European consumers do not always base their perceptions about high-risk foods on reality or evidence. Studies from Switzerland and Greece showed that some adults so fear pesticide exposure that they would rather forgo the positive long-term health benefits of fruits and vegetables. Chemophobia — an irrational fear of chemicals — sees some avoid foods containing any traces of pesticides.

Bernhard Url, executive director of the European Food Safety Authority, recently re-emphasised the safety of processed food containing additives or produce containing crop-protectant residues below certain limits.

Maximum residue limits are set far below safety limits to ensure no harm to consumers, even in the long run — food does not have to be residue-free to be safe.

Consumer perceptions

A Swiss citizen-led initiative recently demanded compulsory organic food production and banning synthetic agricultural chemicals, but it did not advocate banning natural pesticides. Some consumers have preconceived ideas about synthetic pesticides but view natural options as safer, healthier, and risk-free.

Bester pointed out that natural products, like their synthetic counterparts, need rational, well-managed use to limit risks and careful consideration of their efficacy against pests and diseases.

“Public perception can misdirect policymakers in their decision-making,” she warned.

Some consumers confuse geographical trademarks and labels about places of origin with food-safety messaging or view organically-certified food as safer than conventionally produced food. However, organic production standards do not necessarily directly address food-safety issues such as microbial or chemical hazards — there have been foodborne disease outbreaks associated with organic produce.

Fear of the unknown also drives public perception. For instance, participants in an Irish study were more accepting of conventional technology than new processing or packaging nanotechnology.

Media influences

“Unsurprisingly, literature has found that the media amplifies risks about pesticides or food safety,” said Bester. “This heightens perceptions of risk and increases demands for action.”

She noted that humans are innately preconditioned to think negatively. This might be why negative media stories, particularly about pesticides, dominate. Negative information impacts the brain, logic, and reasoning more than positive information.

For example, some consumers are warier of food additives than potentially lethal pathogenic bacteria. Almost 70% of respondents in a Turkish study believed that food additives were hazardous, primarily because they were uninformed about their function and benefits. The researchers speculated that this could result from the media framing biological risks as more natural and controllable.

Media stories about high levels of pesticides and herbicides on Albanian tomatoes have caused production in this southeast European country to drop and increased media reaction to the pesticide risks of locally grown tomatoes.

Bester stated that plant protectants are crucial to universal access to safe and nutritious food, ending malnutrition, increasing crop yields, sustainable food production and stable food commodities.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation, 60% more food will be needed by 2050 to feed an expected 10 billion people. In 2022, 735 million people faced hunger — a significant increase from 2019. Pests, diseases, and weeds cause up to 40% of crop losses annually.

Bester said the media seldom highlights the critical role of plant-protection products despite numerous studies showing that their benefits, when used rationally, outweigh potential risks. Consequently, the public will likely remain worried about risk factors.

Regulators, retailers, and politicians

Questionable information on social media erodes consumers’ trust in regulatory bodies and credible information.

A Greek survey showed that consumers’ perceptions about the benefits and risks depend on how well control procedures around pesticide and food-safety regulations are implemented and communicated.

“Reputable communication across and within cultures is necessary to influence people’s risk perceptions and to cultivate trust in food-safety control bodies,” said Bester. “It is crucial to communicate what is being done to safeguard consumers and what the actual risks are.”

European retailers are increasingly imposing their own food-safety rules. These are often much stricter than the scientifically validated limits of European Union laws. Bester said this process of retailers becoming rule makers sows distrust in government bodies and the science behind legal limits.

She used the current glyphosate debate to show how food-safety issues are politicised. While the European Food Safety Authority’s 2023 peer-reviewed risk assessment found no critical areas of concern about the herbicide’s impact on human health or the environment, some European Union member states still demanded a ban.

Glyphosate was a campaign issue in the recent European parliamentary elections, with the Pesticide Action Network Europe encouraging voters not to support candidates who oppose pesticide reductions.

Bester wants policymakers to communicate risk more effectively and address consumers’ scepticism about pesticides, food additives, and processing technologies. Journalists and scientists should forge stronger connections to dilute fake news with more reputable information that builds consumer trust.

Watch Bester’s presentation on the Hortgro YouTube channel.

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