Fostering safe food handling among consumers: Causal evidence on game- and video-based online interventions

Alexander K Koch,Nina Veflen,Dan Mønster,Julia Nafziger

doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108825

Alexander K Koch, Nina Veflen + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.108825

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Abstract

We design a game-based online intervention to foster awareness of food safety and risk-reducing behavior among consumers. 1087 participants, aged 20–50 years, and additional 886 participants, aged up to 89 years, from the UK and Norway were assigned to (i) a control condition with pre- and post-survey measures of food safety beliefs and behaviors with a one-week spacing, or (ii) in addition exposed to a brief information video, or (iii) in addition played an online game. Both intervention types improved food safety beliefs to a similar extent relative to control. But only the game interventions significantly improved self-reported food safety behavior, suggesting that providing information to consumers often is not sufficient to change routinized behavior. The novel insight of our study is that repeatedly applying correct behavior in the virtual environment of the online game spills over to real-world behavior. Importantly, treatment effects are not concentrated on young people, but are consistent across age groups. • We design an online game to foster risk-reducing behavior among consumers. • We run a survey experiment with >1000 adults from the UK and Norway. • We study two treatments (online game; a video intervention) and a control condition. • Both interventions improve food safety beliefs to a similar extent relative control. • The game intervention significantly improves self-reported food safety behavior.

Highlights

23 According to the WHO, 1 in 10 people in the world suffer from food-borne disease each year (WHO, 2015)
Our study demonstrates the potential for well-designed online games 80 to contribute to the prevention of food-borne disease
Our study shows the potential for serious games to educate the general population about food safety and to promote safe food handling behavior

Summary

Introduction

23 According to the WHO, 1 in 10 people in the world suffer from food-borne disease each year (WHO, 2015). In the US, for example, each year an estimated 9.4 million cases of food-borne disease result in more than 55,000 hospitalizations and more than 1,300 deaths (Scallan et al, 2011). Improper handling and storage of food at home – such as inadequate cooking, consumption of risky foods, cross contamination, inadequate hand washing routines, and lack of time-temperature control – are frequent (Skuland, 2020; Evans and Redmond, 2019; Young et al, 2017a,b; Byrd-Bredbenner et al, 2013). Such mishandling facilitates bacterial contamination of food, which increases the likelihood of consumers contracting food-borne diseases

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