Possibilities of Minimising Risks Associated with Threats to Safety of Meat Products

Abstract

This paper analysed the opinions of young consumers on chemical contaminations of meat and on methods used by them to minimize hazards. The research was carried out from 2007 to 2009, involving 1568 full-time students at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. Students from the second to sixth (in the case of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty) years of study were polled using the methods of random sampling and indirect survey measurement. It was found that the safety of meat products as perceived by consumers depended on their confidence in the legal regulations in force and in food producers, as well as on the provision of detailed information on potential risks. It was found that the knowledge of young consumers in the domain of chemical threats involved in meat was not systemized. It was also found that the year of study and the education profile constituted characteristics which differentiated the perception of risk and the methods of minimizing this risk.