Two Studies May Show Negative Impact Of Confusing Produce Safety Messaging

There has been a lot of recent attention on peer reviewed research published in Nutrition Today which found that fear-based messaging about produce safety and residues resulted in low income consumers stating they were less likely to purchase any produce – organic or conventionally grown.  But, this wasn’t the first study to reach this type of conclusion.  A study from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future published in January 2015 had similar findings.

This peer reviewed study, published in the journal Culture, Agriculture, Food and the Environment, showed that conflicting messaging on food safety and nutrition may be having a negative impact on consumers, especially those with lower incomes.

The researchers conducted one-on-one interviews with study participants in the Baltimore area to learn more about the way organic food is understood within consumers’ definitions of healthy food. The researchers stated that they explored this topic among consumers living in an underserved, low-income neighborhood because “this group is particularly important demographically given the disparate burden of diet-related diseases they carry and the frequency of diet-related messages they receive.”

To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Alliance for Food and Farming