著者

Kazuo Koyama Azusa Hirakawa Chie Uehara Itsuko Horiguchi

出版者

Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan

雑誌

Food Safety (ISSN:21878404)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.8, no.3, pp.59-63, 2020 (Released:2020-09-25)

参考文献数

12

被引用文献数

1 1

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This study used questionnaires to evaluate knowledge levels of risk management of raw-consumption of oysters and of norovirus as health hazards among monitors signed up for Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) having work experiences in food fields. The mean scores of monitors on norovirus knowledge were relatively high (79%), but on oyster raw-consumption were low (64%). Scores varied depending on occupational experiences; highest among administrative officials, high among researchers in food companies, and low among medical workers and educators. The higher scores with more practical experiences for risk management of oyster raw-consumption and norovirus were observed among the monitors. These monitors were expected better to recognize the risks, wheres only few monitors among the opinion-leaders replied correctly to all the questions. These results suggest the need of improvement on the management system for oyster raw-consumption, from the current complicated to the more precise and reinforced for consumers. To efficiently manage the risk associated with the consumption of raw oysters, the government should provide more relevant information of risk management to persons having interest, particularly influencers, in order to disseminate information and to improve knowledge among cooks and consumers.

著者

Itsuko Horiguchi Kazuo Koyama Azusa Hirakawa Mieko Shiomi Kaoruko Tachibana Katsuyuki Watanabe

出版者

Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan

雑誌

Food Safety (ISSN:21878404)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.10, no.2, pp.43-56, 2022 (Released:2022-06-24)

参考文献数

18

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Key topics related to risk communication and food safety were investigated by three different expert groups. In this study, the Delphi method was used to systematically and iteratively aggregate experts’ opinions, and the topics to be communicated to consumers were expressed and prioritized. The opinions of three groups, consisting of 26 members of the expert committee (EC) from the Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ), 29 local government officials (LGOs) from their respective food safety departments, and 25 food safety monitors (FSM) appointed by the FSCJ, were obtained in the period of June through September 2017. “Safety and security concept” was identified and ranked high in all groups. This topic identified “Zero-risk” demand of consumers without understanding risks as the reverse side of safety. The EC group prioritized additional issues, such as “concept of risk” and “safety costs and relevant risk management”. The LGO and FSM groups prioritized specific hazard items for food poisoning and preventive measures. With regard to the so-called “health foods”, the EC and LGO groups indicated insufficient transmission of scientific evidence from the government to consumers, and the FSM group indicated insufficient understanding by consumers of the food labeling system for health and nutrition. Because consumers do not fully understand all concepts of food safety, governments are encouraged to disseminate the probability of risk and the knowledge of risk reduction directly to the consumers by using simple and easy-to-understand terms.

著者

Aiko Abe Kazuo Koyama Chie Uehara Azusa Hirakawa Itsuko Horiguchi

出版者

Food Safety Commission, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan

雑誌

Food Safety (ISSN:21878404)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.8, no.4, pp.90-96, 2020 (Released:2020-12-25)

参考文献数

13

被引用文献数

5 8

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To afford the future agenda of risk communication through an evaluation of the past, we examined the changes in risk perception in the food safety sector over the 15 years (2004–2018) since the establishment of the Food Safety Commission of Japan (FSCJ) in 2003 by analyzing the data of the food safety monitor survey. Hazards such as contaminants including cadmium, methylmercury and arsenic, and pesticide residues caused high levels of concern among the public in 2004. In contrast, hazards such as food poisoning by harmful microorganisms and so-called “Health foods” have been ranked high among concerns since 2008 and 2014, respectively. Scoring of concern levels showed that concern related to food additives and pesticide residues intentionally added to foods and controlled has gradually decreased in a time-dependent manner. These concern scores were considerably lower in male monitors than in female ones; the scores were also lower for individuals with professional experience in the food sector than without the experience. The concern scores for contaminants were lower for males with professional experience. The concern scores related to food poisoning and health foods were not decreased and were remained high in recent years. These scores did not show clear dependence on job experience or gender of the monitors. A gap between food specialists and other attributes in the basic recognition of risk seems to make it difficult to communicate effectively and constructively among various interested individuals. To improve the quality of risk communication in the food safety field, it will be necessary to provide scientific knowledge and information regarding food safety management mechanisms for individuals without professional experience in the food sector, taking into account the changes in information media and influence on risk perception.