Changes in Risk Perception after Food Risk Education at a Cooking Art College

Abstract

Seventy students in a cooking art college joined registered questionnaires to answer “(rather) yes” or “(rather) no” for questions about several food hazards and to write the reasons. This was conducted before and after the lectures on food safety to assess the alteration of risk perception. In all 6 questions, the number of answers with biased perception decreased significantly. ‘Genetically modified organisms’ achieved the largest decrease of biased answers (36→5), followed by ‘food additives’ (46→16) and ‘agricultural chemicals’ (61→31). ‘Radioactive pollutants’ showed a smaller decrease of biased perception (33→20). The lectures on risk analysis, quantitative risk assessment, and risk-benefit analysis have been certainly effective for changing risk perception. Some students mentioned a vague anxiety and made instinctual decisions despite scientific understanding. This suggested the importance of addressing the emotional dimension. The results would help improving food risk communication.