Using Historical Information to Identify Consumer Concerns About Food Safety

The coverage of food safety issues by the news media could affect consumption patterns, depending on the type of food consumed and the type of risk involved.Media coverage of food safety concerns during 1937-91 was examined as an indicator of risk perception, based on information appearing in Consumer Reports.There was an increase in the coverage of food safety issues and a shift in media emphasis from acute food safety problems to chronic health problems.Consumption of beef, pork, poultry, and seafood for 1937-91 was examined as a function of real income, relative prices, time, and risk information.For beef, the impact of media coverage increased over time.For seafood, media coverage became relatively less important over time.These effects were not observed for poultry or pork products.