Food Risk and Crisis Communication by Flood, Anthony; Bruhn, Christine M.;

Short description:

Food Risk and Crisis Communication addresses the principals of effective risk communication and provides insight as to why messages that seem reasonable to the scientist may be ineffective in allaying fears of the lay public and putting their concerns in perspective.

Long description:

Food Risk and Crisis Communication addresses the principals of effective risk communication and provides insight as to why messages that seem reasonable to the scientist may be ineffective in allaying fears of the lay public and putting their concerns in perspective. Examples are drawn from current issues in news including acrylamide, pesticides, “mad cow disease,” pathogens like E coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and new technologies like genetic engineering and irradiation. The authors draw from personal experience and research addressing what works, what doesn’t and why.

Understanding risk communication in crisis management and the role of society and culture in effective communication will help readers to individualize information and prepare for future communication needs. Coverage also includes communications in the face of activism and activist groups; communicating emerging health issues; the concepts of zero risk and absolutes; and steps for developing an action plan for communicating in the event of an actual emergency.

Food Risk and Crisis Communication will be a useful addition to the library of anyone in the food industry who communicates with the public, including food manufacturers and supermarket executives. It will be useful to the health professional and food safety educator, including dietitians, nurses, and school educators as well as those in communication.

Food Risk and Crisis Communication addresses the principals of effective risk communication and provides insight as to why messages that seem reasonable to the scientist may be ineffective in allaying fears of the lay public and putting their concerns in perspective. Examples are drawn from current issues in news including acrylamide, pesticides, “mad cow disease,” pathogens like E coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and new technologies like genetic engineering and irradiation. The authors draw from personal experience and research addressing what works, what doesn’t and why. A case study on bovine spongiform encephalopathy traces the science as it unfolds and describes how communication strategies were developed to prepare the public and the industry for the inevitable discovery of positive cattle in the U.S. The effectiveness and shortcomings of the resulting strategy are reviewed to highlight lessons learned.

The book also examines the role of the media in communicating risks, reviewing what is covered, who is cited, and highlighting questions the press should ask and information the reader should look for to put risk in perspective. Since women make the majority of household food purchases and are themselves targets for specific health messages, research based guidelines for communicating to women are featured. Understanding risk communication in crisis management and the role of society and culture in effective communication will help readers to individualize information and prepare for future communication needs. Coverage also includes communications in the face of activism and activist groups; communicating emerging health issues; the concepts of zero risk and absolutes; and steps for developing an action plan for communicating in the event of an actual emergency.

Food Risk and Crisis Communication will be a useful addition to the library of anyone in the food industry who communicates with the public, including food manufacturers and supermarket executives. It will be useful to the health professional and food safety educator, including dietitians, nurses, and school educators as well as those in communication. Food Risk and Crisis Communication provides anyone who eats or knows someone who eats new information on the facts around food issues in the news and how they are communicated.

Table of Contents:

1. Overview of risk communication – William D. Hueston, University of Minnesota (tentative).

2. Practical applications of risk communications – Nancy C. Flores, Cooperative Extension Services, New Mexico State Univ., and Anthony O. Flood, International Food Information Council, Washington, DC.

3. Consumer perceptions of food safety – Christine M. Bruhn, Center for Consumer Research, Univ. of California, Davis.

4. The concepts of zero risk and absolutes – International Food Information Council Foundation (staff contribution), Washington, DC.

5. Putting chemical risk in perspective for consumers – acrylamide, pesticides and other environmental contaminants – Carl K. Winter, Univ. of California, Davis.

6. Putting risk of food pathogens in perspective for consumers – Robert R. Ulmer, University of Arkansas–Little Rock (suggested contributor).

7. Risk communication case scenario: BSE – Robert B. Gravani, Cornell Univ, Ithaca, NY.

8. Communications in light of emerging health issues – William D. Hueston, University of Minnesota (tentative).

9. Influence of societal values on risk perception and communication – George Gaskell, London School of Economics (suggested contributor).

10. Making food risk communications meaningful for women – Linda Aldoory, University of Maryland Department of Communication, Center for Risk Communication Research.

11. News Alert! The media’s role in communicating risk to the public – David Ropeik, Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (suggested contributor).

12. Communications in the face of activism and activist groups – James Lukaszewski, The Lukaszewski Group Inc., White Plains, NY and Donald W. Schaffner, Rutgers University, (suggested contributor).

13. Fitting risk communication best practices into crisis communication – Matthew Seeger, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

14. Future trends and directions – Christine M. Bruhn, Center for Consumer Research, Univ. of California, Davis and Anthony O. Flood, International Food Information Council, Washington, DC.

15. Developing an Action Plan or Best Practices for Crisis Communication – Tim Sellnow, North Dakota State University (suggested contributor).

Glossary: List of terms to be developed throughout the process of gathering chapter contributions with author input