Food Protection Trends - July/August 2019 - 324

table 4. Survey results falling under the theme of responsibility for food safety
Survey Response

Percentage of Respondents

Who is most responsible for food safety in Canada? (Respondents could choose up to 3 choices.)
Canadian Food Inspection Agency

89.1%

Food Producers

50.4%

Health Canada

45.8%

Food Retailers

37.8%

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

34.8%

Provincial/Territorial Governments

26.3%

Farmers

20.3%

Consumers

17.9%

Prefer not to answer

1.3%

Other

0.4%

Which of the following is most closely aligned with how you feel about food contamination?
Food contamination primarily occurs before food reaches my home

83.4%

Food contamination primarily occurs as a result of improper handling and storage in my home

13.3%

Prefer not to answer

3.3%

contamination occurs primarily before it reaches their
homes, rather than as a result of improper handling and
storage in their homes.
DISCUSSION
The results indicate the presence of recall fatigue among
Canadian consumers with regard to food recalls. Although
Canadians have a general awareness of food recalls and
appear to have access to reliable information sources, they
appear to retain information on only a portion of all such
recalls. Of concern is the detachment between Canadian
consumers and the responsibility for food safety (8), which
they largely see as a responsibility of the government rather
than themselves. This disconnect is worrisome, because
foodborne illnesses can originate at any point in the food
supply chain, from factory conditions to improper storage or
handling of food in the home (19).
The majority (83.0%) of respondents underestimated
the occurrence of food recalls during the previous year.
Most (71.6%) reported receiving information about food
recalls from traditional media sources (television, radio,
newspapers). This was consistent across all demographic
groups. Consumers indicated that some recall messages were
relayed through social media sources (Twitter, Facebook).
Although social media sources spread information quickly,

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Food Protection Trends July/August

they are more likely to frame food recall issues politically,
amplifying messaging that detracts from the seriousness
of the recall or lays blame for contamination according
to stakeholder ideological values (4). This may become a
greater issue as younger demographic groups move away
from traditional media sources. Further, consumers may
be more likely to act on emotional responses to food
recalls than on scientific or evidentiary assessments (16).
Thus, the information 'gatekeeping' role of traditional
news media becomes increasingly more important. One
subset of the population remains particularly unlikely to
be informed about food recalls through traditional and
social media sources and therefore less able to mitigate the
risk of foodborne illness for themselves and their families;
specifically, Canadians with only a high school diploma and/
or earning less than $40,000 are the most vulnerable in the
current food safety system. Further research is warranted on
how best to communicate important recall information to
this subset.
Canadian consumers appear to have confidence in the
food recall system. While this in itself is positive, evidence
from the survey suggests that confidence may generate
complacency regarding food safety and foodborne illness. In
general, respondents believe that responsibility for food safety
lies with someone else, primarily the federal government

Food Protection Trends - July/August 2019

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