Wang Ke, Pang Xinxin, Zeng Zhengkui, Xiong Houhua, Du Jifu, Li Gang, Baidoo Isaac Kwasi
School of Nuclear Technology and Chemistry & Biology and Hubei Key Laboratory of Radiation Chemistry and Functional Materials Hubei University of Science and Technology Xianning China.
China Isotope & Radiation Corporation Beijing China.
Food Sci Nutr. 2023 Jun 19;11(9):4964-4974. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3511. eCollection 2023 Sep.
China is currently the world's largest producer of food irradiation. Despite the long-standing (about 100 years) evidence supporting the safety of food irradiation, consumers' acceptance of irradiated foods remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the development of food irradiation in China and identify the barriers that keep consumers away from irradiated foods. This was accomplished by exploring the relevant policies of food irradiation, the size and distribution of irradiation facilities in China, and analyzing their relationships between consumer characteristics and the acceptance of irradiated food. To achieve these objectives, we conducted an online survey of participants from Hubei, China ( = 264). The results reveal that irradiation facilities are mainly distributed in large coastal cities such as the Bohai Bay, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Greater Bay Area. Furthermore, the study identified that consumer' acceptance of irradiated food is directly related to their level of understanding. Approximately 22% of the sampled consumers reported that they would not accept that they have consumed irradiated food and most of them (41%) stated that they would not purchase irradiated food if they were aware of buying irradiated food. Specifically, consumers expressed discomfort with consuming irradiated food under unknown circumstances. This trend is more prevalent among female, low-educated, and older consumers, with 40% of the sampled population indicating that they would not buy irradiated food. Given the strong correlation between knowledge and acceptance of irradiated foods, the study suggests that policy reform should prioritize enhancing the understanding of irradiated food, particularly among female, low-educated, and older consumers.
中国目前是世界上最大的食品辐照生产国。尽管长期以来（约100年）有证据支持食品辐照的安全性，但消费者对辐照食品的接受度仍然有限。本研究旨在调查中国食品辐照的发展情况，并找出使消费者远离辐照食品的障碍。这是通过探索食品辐照的相关政策、中国辐照设施的规模和分布，并分析它们与消费者特征和辐照食品接受度之间的关系来实现的。为实现这些目标，我们对来自中国湖北的参与者进行了在线调查（n = 264）。结果显示，辐照设施主要分布在渤海湾、长江三角洲和大湾区等沿海大城市。此外，研究发现消费者对辐照食品的接受度与他们的了解程度直接相关。约22%的抽样消费者表示他们不会接受自己食用过辐照食品，其中大多数人（41%）表示如果知道购买的是辐照食品，他们不会购买。具体而言，消费者对在不明情况下食用辐照食品表示不满。这种趋势在女性、低学历和老年消费者中更为普遍，40%的抽样人群表示他们不会购买辐照食品。鉴于对辐照食品的了解与接受度之间有很强的相关性，该研究建议政策改革应优先提高对辐照食品的认识，特别是在女性、低学历和老年消费者中。
