Perceptions, risks and costs of food-borne pathogens: Salmonella and Campylobacter

Caroline Millman, Manchester University

Link: Reducing Escherichia Coli O157 Risk in Rural Communities

Sporadic outbreaks of foodbome pathogens, like E. coli O157, and high profile agricultural diseases such as FMD and BSE have ensured that food safety remains high in the public consciousness. They also raise issues relevant to many areas of interaction between science, policy and public perception.

Outdated approaches to this interaction saw government officials, regulators, and industry representatives advocate a public education model in which consumers were urged to become better educated to eliminate "irrational" food scares and stigmas. More recent research has shown that attempts to present risk statistics to the public in order for their perceptions and preferences to become "rational" has little meaning or impact (Powell, 2000; Sargeantetal., 2007).

There are a number of food-borne pathogens that, because of outbreaks or scares, occasionally enter the mass media and public realm. They have different public profiles, vary in the extent, frequency and severity of their outbreaks and are subject to differing degrees of government and industry standard. This project will investigate the similarities and differences in terms of recorded biological risk, public perception and options for control of 3 such pathogens: Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli O157 (note that the PhD will focus practical work on the first 2 pathogens, as the parent project is dedicated to E. coli O157. However, the PhD will directly use data and insights from the parent project to enable comparative analysis. The PhD provides real added value to the parent project).

These pathogens represent an interesting combination of incidents, severity, stringency of industry standards and public awareness. Campylobacter cases are most common, and E. coli O157 the least, although this order is reversed in terms of severity of symptoms. While industry standards are strong for Salmonella and E coli O157 they are far weaker for Campylobacter (although this is now changing). While Salmonella has historically had a high profile, E. coli O157 has received more recent attention because of recent outbreaks involving mortalities, however, public awareness of Campylobacter remains low despite consistently high incidence rates.

The PhD will investigate:
1. The awareness, attitudes and behaviour of different stakeholder groups towards Salmonella and Campylobacter risks in the food chain.
2. Review evidence on (costs of) outbreaks and alternative interventions to reduce risk/incidents, including technological changes in the food chain and more mundane changes in kitchen hygiene practice.
3. Formulate an initial suite of intervention and mitigation strategies to better manage Salmonella and Campylobacter risks.
4. Assess the economic costs of such alternative interventions and strategies.
5. Investigate home and informal catering hazard patterns and associated (un)willingness to change practices to reduce hazard.
6. To explore the drivers (attitudinal, demographic) of the differing public acceptability of such alternative interventions and strategies.