Risk perception and its impact on vegetable consumption: A case study from Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

Vegetables form the mainstay of the Vietnamese diet, where food safety remains an on-going concern. This paper investigates 1) the determinants of vegetable risk perception in the rural and urban regions and 2) the impact of risk perception on vegetable consumption in Hanoi, Vietnam. Using the data from a survey of 498 consumers, we found that food risk information, perceived consequences of hazards, and institutional trust shaped risk perception in both regions. Respondent's age and education determined their risk evaluation in the rural region only. Personal experience with vegetable poisoning, self-provisioning of vegetables, and perceived control over hazards only influenced risk assessment in the urban region. 88% of surveyed consumers avoided consuming vegetable varieties that were perceived unsafe, switching instead to their safer alternatives. 33.5% of them ate fewer vegetables than before. A heightened risk perception led to a reduction in vegetable consumption. Better management of food safety and better risk communication toward attenuating consumer anxiety about vegetable safety is essential to improve both producer and consumer welfare. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Food safety; Risk perception; Food consumption; Vegetables; Vietnam

Published in

Journal of Cleaner Production
2020, volume: 271, article number: 122793
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Ha, Thi Thanh Mai

  • Massey University
  • Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA)

UKÄ Subject classification

Economics
Food Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122793

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/123569