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The challenges of communicating food risk

Julie Barnett

Professor of Health Psychology

University of Bath, UK

Understanding Consumers and Changing Behaviour: EUFIC Oct 2016

The language of risk

Communication vs. risk communication

Tools for risk communication

Listening technologies Chorus

Vizzata

Intervention technologiesmyPace

Behaviour change video tutorials

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“We do warn people now that most of the egg production of this country, sadly, is now infected with salmonella”Edwina Currie, December 1988

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Risk Communication Uncertainty

Anxiety

The stakes can be high

Predispositions of public bodies responsible for risk

communication

May hold unhelpful models of public responses

Reluctance to acknowledge uncertainty

Overconfidence in effectiveness of information provision

Unclear as to when and why to engage with publics

Attribute inertia or concern to risk perception when it is about other values or priorities

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Predispositions of people making sense of risk

communication

To value signals of trustworthiness To be sensitive to differences in framing

and presentation of numerical information

To systemically attend to hazard characteristics other than likelihood and consequences

To respond to risk communication within the broad context of everyday practices and experiences

The FoodRisC Project

FP7 EU project led by University College Dublin, Ireland, with 14 partners from both academia & non-academic organisations from 9 EU member states

Investigating perceptions and mapping out communication networks of food risks and benefits in the fast changing media environment across Europe

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A communication resource centre with good practice’ guidelines to assist EU

wide organisations in their communication, information, and education services

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The language of riskCommunication vs. riskcommunicationTools for risk communicationListening technologies

Chorus Vizzata

Intervention technologiesmyPaceBehaviour change video tutorials

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Social media

Traditional and social media stories covering the Irish dioxin incident

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The language of Twitter A Tweet is an expression of a moment or idea. It can contain text, photos, and videos

When you follow people (@someone), their Tweets show up in your timeline. Similarly, your Tweets show up in the timelines of those that follow you.

https://about.twitter.com/what-is-twitter/story-of-a-tweet

A Data Collection and Methodological Toolkit for using Twitter data

Chorus-TC - TweetCatcher

Two modes of data collection

Semantically-driven – finding key words

User-driven – finding people of interest

Chorus-TV - TweetVis

Two modes of analysis

Time line explorer

Cluster explorer

http://chorusanalytics.co.uk/

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The example of e-coli The e-coli outbreak in May-July 2011 was one of the biggest ever food related crises in Europe -resulting from biological contamination - the source of which was initially unknown.

Over the course of the outbreak 53 people died and over 850 were seriously ill.

Frequencies of EHEC mentions in Spain (Gaspar, et al 2013)

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68-90% 40-55%% of tweets with links 42-75%

@xxxx: Travel to or from Germany warning over E. coli outbreak - Yahoo! Travel via @YahooTravelUK http://t.co/ajh4acn

@XXXX: Death toll from E. coli outbreak rises to five @XXXX #Germany http://feedly.com/k/jWRpWx

@Dxxxx: BBC News - E.coli: Cucumbers and tomatoes off menu in Germany -http://bbc.in/lSKdzt

@Cxxxxx: 'RT @XXXX: UK salad industry hits out over E. coli incident: The Tomato Growers'' Association has hit out at imports after ...' http://bit.ly/ll1Jtb

@XXXX: E-Coli outbreak amonst Fresh Produce http://www.freshinfo.com/index.php?s=n&ss=nd&sid=53593

Information focused

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@Lxxx: OMG! E coli in Germany! Ive got to go there though...

@Gxxx: After years of eating little to no salad, I''m going to look prettttty smart when you all die of e coli! I might buy a celebratory steak! :P

@Yxxxx: Great I survived swine flu, next challenge for the uber immune system is e.coli

@Jxxxx: New cases of the "killer cucumber" e.coli in the UK ... am rethinking my lunch

@Mxxx: Why are we getting new strains of Bird Flu and now a new strain of #Ecoli -something isn't right!

Interpretation focused

Expressions of coping with e-coli

Evidence to suggest that expressions of coping were sensitive to changes in the uncertainty of the context.

Significantly more expressions of coping in the period of uncertainty around whether Spanish cucumbers were responsible

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Tools for social media analysis need to be able to address relevant questions –not simply to describe.

Social media analysis can tell us about the ways in which people are responding to notifications about the hazard.

Systematic analysis of the links that people pass on provides information about attention and reactions to communications

Information from official agencies is more likely to be passed on via social media early in the hazard sequence?

Coping strategies are sensitive to perceived uncertainty about risks

Implications of social media analysis for risk communication?

The language of risk

Communication vs. riskcommunication

Tools for risk communication

Listening technologies Chorus

Vizzata

Intervention technologiesmyPace

Behaviour change video tutorials

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©2012 VIZZATA

VIZZATA

VIZZATA

An evidence based platform for qualitative research

What is Vizzata? Online strategic engagementplatform

A reliable way to access consumer views

Assess reactions to unfamiliar Issues

Test and tailor communicationmaterials

Discover (unexpected) reactions

Access hard-to-reach target groups

©2012 VIZZATA

VIZZATA. EXPLORING VALUE FOR ABBOTT NUTRITION.

A new way of doing qualitative research

An evidence-based online platform for qualitative

research

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©2012 VIZZATA

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2013 Horsemeat Incident

©2012 VIZZATA

15 Jan 2013

FSAI announce beef burger products found to contain pig and horse DNA

VIZZATA Study launched to collect ‘real time’ responses

19 Jan 2013

Few worries about food safety

Angry and betrayed

Demanded accountability early on

©2012 VIZZATA

How were consumers

reacting during the

first week of the

horsemeat incident?

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“

“

This was honestly one of the best surveys I have completed in 10+ years of doing surveys. Eye opening, emotive. Thank you for the opportunity.

Amy, Plastic Pollution Study

A real breath of fresh air… Normally the studies or surveys that I take part

in do not allow the option of asking questions.

- Tony, Horsemeat Study

It’s always a good thing to be able to ask

questions.- Conor, Healthy Cheese Study

I feel like a kid putting my hand up in class,

but what I say actually gets listened to

Clare, Loneliness study

The language of risk

Communication vs. risk communication

Tools for risk communication

Listening technologies Chorus

Vizzata

Intervention technologiesmyPace

Behaviour change video tutorials

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Embedding relationship and behaviour change evidence in digital delivery:

The example of myPace

myPace extends and enhances the value of the face to face

relationship

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“I think that there is a potential for thinking about ‘digital – human hybrids’ and how

digital technology can work with personal support from people - whether it is buddies in terms of peer networks or professionals.

That is a whole area of research that has great potential”

Susan Michie, NUIG m-health conference 2016

Digitising the therapeutic alliance

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Developing behaviour change resources for dietitians

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Understand the requirements of those that will be communicating

How it fits with their practice

How it complements their training

How it fits with their belief systems

Work with key stakeholders

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Final thoughts Need to recognise the full range of challenges for communicating about risk

Risk communication is not about getting people to adopt the perspective of experts

Listening is a vital part of risk communication

Interventions to enhance risk appreciation must be designed with involvement of stakeholders

Acknowledgements

Certain authors speaking of their works say, ‘My book’, ‘My commentary’, ‘My history’ etc. They

resemble middle class people who have a house of their own and always have, ‘My house’ on their

tongue. They would do better to say, ‘Our book’, ‘Our commentary’, ‘Our history’, etc., because there is in them usually more of other people’s

then their own

Blaise Pascal

The FoodRisc TeamUniversity College Dublin University of Surrey

University of TwenteResearch Center, Food and Veterinary Service of Latvia

Universiteit Gent – Ghent University

Centro de Investigação e de Intervenção Social

Focus Business Communications European Food Information Council

White October Brook Lyndhurst

Free University of Berlin Hylobates Consulting Srl

Asterisc Communication Research Group, UniversitatRovira i Virgili

EFAD

With special thanks to: Aine McConnon, Aine Regan, Dave Fletcher, Phil Brooker, Tim Cribbin, Michelle Harricharan, Raymond Gemen, Rui Gaspar and Afrodita Marcu

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Thank you for your attention

Please do get in touch if you are interested in learning more about any of the tools I have talked about

J.C.Barnett@bath.ac.uk

@julieatselhurst

http://www.bath.ac.uk/psychology/staff/julie-barnett/