Thomas Merlyn Suzanne, Kontor-Manu Elma, Feng Yaohua
Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.
Foods. 2025 Feb 7;14(4):551. doi: 10.3390/foods14040551.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused many consumers in the United States to change their perceptions and food handling practices at the height of the pandemic. We used a quantitative-qualitative mixed-method approach to assess consumers' risk perceptions and food safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine waves of surveys were distributed to an online consumer panel over a 13-month period (April 2020-May 2021), and four waves of focus groups were conducted (May-July 2020 and June 2021). While the pandemic elevated peoples' perceptions of risks related to food safety practices, many consumers were reverting to past behaviors by May 2021. Participants asserted high confidence in their food safety measures; however, they perceived a low risk of contracting COVID-19 from food. Contrasts in food handling became apparent when assessing different age groups; observations revealed that practices in households with high-risk individuals differed significantly from those without. Although not recommended, the practice of washing produce with soap was consistent, predicting a possible continuation of this practice over time. This study highlights various factors that food safety educators and policymakers need to consider for effective communication about risks associated with food safety practices in preparation for pandemics and other major health events.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）在疫情高峰期使美国许多消费者改变了他们的认知和食品处理习惯。我们采用定量-定性混合方法来评估COVID-19大流行期间消费者的风险认知和食品安全习惯。在13个月的时间里（2020年4月至2021年5月），向一个在线消费者小组发放了九波调查问卷，并开展了四波焦点小组讨论（2020年5月至7月和2021年6月）。虽然疫情提高了人们对与食品安全习惯相关风险的认知，但到2021年5月，许多消费者又恢复了过去的行为。参与者对他们的食品安全措施表现出高度信心；然而，他们认为通过食物感染COVID-19的风险很低。在评估不同年龄组时，食品处理方面的差异变得明显；观察结果显示，有高危个体的家庭中的习惯与没有高危个体的家庭有显著不同。虽然不推荐，但用肥皂清洗农产品的做法一直存在，预计这种做法可能会持续下去。本研究强调了食品安全教育工作者和政策制定者在为大流行和其他重大健康事件做准备时，就与食品安全习惯相关的风险进行有效沟通需要考虑的各种因素。
