No abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of Hispanic consumer acculturation on concerns about food safety and pesticide residues, and attitudes toward pesticide‐related agricultural practices. Two 3‐min bilingual, English and Spanish, videos presenting information on integrated pest management (IPM) farming practices were shown in controlled settings to Californian Hispanic consumers (n = 91). Findings reveal that acculturation among Hispanic consumers, language of use and length of residency in the United States, are significant factors associated with consumer concerns about the safety of domestic grown and imported produce at the supermarket. Overall, however the research suggests a substantial lack of information by Hispanic consumers regardless of level of acculturation. Pre‐ and post‐video survey results show significant change in attitude among Hispanic consumers toward food safety, farming practices, and university efforts to help farmers control pests and assist with other management techniques. These findings suggest that bilingual educational programmes on food safety and the use of pesticides by farmers would be appropriate.

The objective of this study was to identify Hispanic consumer pesticide-related food safety concerns, present information on efforts to reduce pesticide use, and determine the impact on consumer attitudes toward food safety. There were significant changes in the attitudes of Hispanic consumers pre-and post-video towards food safety, farming practices, and university efforts to help farmers control pests and assist with other management techniques. These findings suggest that although Hispanic consumers are gener- JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 138ally confident in the safety of produce in the U.S.A., nevertheless they have stopped consuming certain fruits and vegetables due to food safety concerns. Hispanic consumer concerns were significantly reduced following the viewing of the Integrated Pest Management videos, suggesting that additional information and bilingual education programs on food safety and the use of pesticides by farmers will have a positive impact on consumer attitudes.

A door‐to‐door survey was conducted in Costa Rica to identify consumer attitudes and concerns about the safety of fruits and vegetables available in the marketplace. The sample (n = 98) was randomly selected from a panel of 255 households in urban and rural areas. More than half the respondents (54%) expressed confidence in the safety of the produce available in the marketplace, while a minority (11%) reported avoiding the consumption of some produce due to food safety concerns. A majority of respondents (64% agreed that the only way farmers control pests today is by using pesticides and that these are used indiscriminately (57%). Yet, 53% of the sample agreed that growers today use many practices to protect the environment and provide safe food. Consumers (48%) perceived farmers to be concerned about the environment and safe food, and agree (43%) that farmers carefully manage the use of chemicals and other techniques to produce clean, safe, fresh food. The majority (65%) of respondents were aware of the training programs and technical assistance provided to farmers on the use of chemicals by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cattle (MAG). Information sources on which consumers rely are television (92%), radio (73%), and newspapers (63%). These findings show that while many consumers are not completely confident in the chemical safety of produce, few have reduced produce consumption. Consumers are also concerned with the perceived indiscriminate use of pesticides by farmers. Since public confidence appears to be high for MAG, the government may want to use MAG and the mass media to provide consumer education programs on food safety that specifically address the use of pesticides by farmers.