Risk perception and communication of food chain terrorism

The trends in global food production, processing, and distribution present new challenges to food safety and food defence activities, where food defence relates to protection from deliberate attack. This paper aims evaluates... [ view full abstract ]

The trends in global food production, processing, and distribution present new challenges to food safety and food defence activities, where food defence relates to protection from deliberate attack. This paper aims evaluates terrorism risk perception in the food chain through examination of a series of hypotheses drawn from a social cognitive model of individual response to terrorism.

The study is based on a survey and interviews applied to food company managers and directors of regulatory agencies of the food chain in Romania and Turkey. The theoretical framework is a contextualized psycho-sociological model incorporating cognitive, social-contextual and behavioural factors as predictors of individual responses to the security threat. The analytical method consisted in a self-completed individual questionnaire (55 questions), distributed online through e-mail to a random sample of managers and decision makers from organizations operating in the food industry in Romania and Turkey (n = 319 cases (217 Romania, 102 Turkey). Bivariate correlations were computed to examine relationships between cognitive factors (perceived probability, perceived seriousness, perceived personal impact, and perceived coping efficacy), social-contextual factors (perceived governmental preparedness, perceived front-line preparedness), affective response (worry), and behavioural responses to terrorism (individual preparedness, information seeking, and avoidance behaviours).

Results are discussed in the light of inferences that can be used in developing risk/crisis communication plans.