Chapter 64 - Communicating about risk in relation to food with the public and countering media alarmism

Abstract

Trained food safety experts have a science-based understanding of the concepts of hazard, risk, and mitigation. Those same three words, however, are strongly emotion-based for most other people. It is this gulf that is used by news media, campaigners, and other interest groups to generate fear and outrage, whether well-meaning or otherwise. We examine the reasons for this difference and propose techniques and processes that food safety risk communicators can use to move audience and stakeholder publics towards mutual understanding and ideally into agreement. We present the “HOT” (honest, open, transparent) communications approach and underpin this with the “4Rs” (rapid, reliable, relevant, repeated) principles and look at how communicators can embrace effective storytelling in order to deliver desired health protection outcomes, whether they be preventing or limiting consumption to mitigate a hazard; or encouraging people to consume more of certain food groups so as to lower risk of poor health outcomes.