Government management of two media-facilitated crises involving dioxin contamination of food

Jacob, Casey J.; Lok, Corie; Morley, Katija; Powell, Douglas

doi:10.1177/0963662509355737

Cited by 35 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Communications in a food safety crisis should be timely, reassuring, transparent, inclusive of all stakeholders, attempt to control stigma, and use appropriate sources and channels to communicate a risk message (Holmes et al 2009;Jacob et al 2011;Lofstedt et al 2011). To date, risk communicators have relied heavily on traditional media channels (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk communication and social media during food safety crises: a study of stakeholders’ opinions in Ireland

Regan

Raats

Shan

et al. 2014

Journal of Risk Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social media is a particular communication platform which has witnessed an exponential growth in use and influence in recent years, democratising the communication process, and offering risk communicators a way of putting into practice those principles which are advocated to be at the core of risk management and communication. However, little is known about stakeholders' willingness to embrace this new form of communication in a food crisis. The current study presented an exploratory investigation of the opinions of Irish stakeholders on the position of risk communication in a crisis, with a particular focus on understanding what application social media may have. In-depth one-to-one interviews were carried out with key stakeholders holding frontline positions in managing and communicating about risk in the food sector in Ireland. The stakeholders identified risk communication as a central activity in a food safety crisis, driven by an obligation to protect both consumer health and the reputation of the Irish food sector. Stakeholders relied primarily on risk communication to disseminate information in a crisis so to educate and inform the public on a risk and to prevent confusion and alarmism; most did not explicitly value two-way risk communication in a crisis. The ability to effectively manage future crises may depend on stakeholders' willingness to adapt to the changing communication landscape, namely -their willingness to adopt social media and use it effectively. The findings indicate that the stakeholders interviewed are appreciative of the need to engage with social media in times of a food safety crisis. However, most valued social media as a one-way channel to help spread a message and there was little reference to the interactive nature of this medium. Implications for integrating social media into crisis risk communication strategies are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk communication and social media during food safety crises: a study of stakeholders’ opinions in Ireland

Regan

Raats

Shan

et al. 2014

Journal of Risk Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous research has examined the actions which build and break public trust during individual food incidents (Berg, 2004, Falkheimer and Heide, 2015, Grebe, 2013, Jacob et al, 2011, Jensen, 2004.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food-system actors’ perspectives on trust: an international comparison

Tonkin

Wilson

Coveney

et al. 2019

BFJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Adrienne Dockrel who contributed to data collection for Study 2 and Professor Andrew Fearne who contributed to discussions about the comparison of Study 1 and Study 2. Abstract PurposeThis international comparison study compares the perspectives of actors who contribute to trust in the food system in four high income countries which have diverse food incident histories: Australia, New Zealand (NZ), the United Kingdom (UK) and the Island of Ireland (IOI), focusing on their communication with the public, and their approach to food system interrelationships. ApproachData were collected in two separate studies; the first in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (Study 1), and the second on the Island of Ireland (Study 2). In-depth interviews were conducted with media, food industry and food regulatory actors across the four regions (n=105 Study 1; n=50 Study 2). Analysis focused on identifying similarities and differences in the perspectives of actors from the four regions regarding the key themes of communication with the public, and relationships between media, industry and regulators. FindingsWhile there were many similarities in the way food system actors from the four regions discussed (re)building trust in the context of a food incident, their perceptions differed in a number of critical 4 ways regarding food system actor use of social media, and the attitudes and approaches towards relationships between food system actors. OriginalityThis paper outlines opportunities for the regions studied to learn from each other when looking for practical strategies to maximise consumer trust in the food system, particularly relating to the use of social media and attitudes toward role definition in industry-regulator relationships.

show abstract

“…A comparison between the Belgian and Irish crisis management involving dioxin contaminated food showed that incomplete and contradictory information from the Belgium government led to large economic losses, a damaged food industry and a decline in public confidence in the food sector. In contrast, prompt and detailed communication by the Irish government resulted in maintaining public trust during the crisis (Jacob and others ). An open communication with the public is thus important, in which both facts and uncertainties are relayed (EFSA ; Projektgruppe LÜKEX Bund ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Local and national authorities should respond swiftly and appropriately in order to prevent an incident from becoming a crisis (Helsloot ). A crisis is defined by an urgent, dynamic situation that is rapidly changing with unpredictable outcomes, it is poorly understood and has an impact on society and politics (Jacob and others ; Farazmand ). A timely response to a crisis is, however, not an easy task, as there is always tension between acting quickly and acting accurately (Rosenthal and t' Hart ; Helsloot ; Helsloot and others ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Safety Crisis Management—A Comparison between Germany and the Netherlands

Asselt

Fels‐Klerx

Breuer³

et al. 2017

Journal of Food Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to prevent food safety incidents from becoming a crisis, a good crisis management structure is essential. The aim of the current study was to compare and evaluate the national food incident response plans of 2 neighboring EU Member States: Germany and the Netherlands. This revealed that the structure of these plans is comparable, starting with initial alerting, assessment of the problem, upscaling, an execution phase and finally an evaluation of the crisis management. However, the German communication structure is more complex than the Dutch one and cross-border communication between both countries is currently limited. In general, the presence of national response plans does not guarantee a good and swift response to a food safety incident as this is often hampered by difficulties in tracing the source of the problem as well as difficulties in communication between organizations involved in crisis management. A timely detection can be improved through the development of fast screening and detecting systems and through combining various data sources using computer software systems. Mutual cooperation and communication can be improved through joint exercises or projects. This will help to streamline communication toward consumers and trade partners. Such communication should be transparent relaying not only the facts but also the uncertainties in a crisis in order to gain consumer trust and safeguard international trade.

show abstract

Government management of two media-facilitated crises involving dioxin contamination of food

Cited by 35 publications

References 12 publications

Risk communication and social media during food safety crises: a study of stakeholders’ opinions in Ireland

Risk communication and social media during food safety crises: a study of stakeholders’ opinions in Ireland

Food-system actors’ perspectives on trust: an international comparison

Food Safety Crisis Management—A Comparison between Germany and the Netherlands

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About