• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.450-458
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of risk perception characteristics for food risk elements using a psychometric paradigm from 298 university students in Yeungnam region, Korea, by a self-administered questionnaire. The respondents showed the highest level of risk concern about radioactive contaminated foods and the lowest level about GM (genetically modified) foods. In the risk perception characteristics for food risk elements, they perceived radioactive contaminated foods as a catastrophic, worried, new, and uncontrollable risk. In addition, they regarded food additives and foodborne illness as a chronic, controllable, old, and scientifically and individually known risk. According to the results of the factor analysis for risk perception characteristics, dread and unknown were categorized. In the risk perception map, mad cow disease, heavy metal contaminated foods, and radioactive contaminated foods were considered as a dreaded and unknown risk, whereas pesticide residues and GM foods were perceived as a less dreaded and unknown risk. Additionally, food additives and foodborne illness were regarded as a less dreaded and known risk and endocrine disruptors and avian influenza as a dreaded and known risk. These results imply that risk perception characteristics of consumers should be considered to establish strategies for risk communication in food science.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.181-196
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• 2024

This study examined the influence of perceptions of food risk and food labeling on the purchase of labeled food items and the intention to pay higher prices for safe food. Data were obtained from the Korea Rural Economic Institute's Consumer Behavior Survey for Food 2020. The analysis focused on the responses of 6,355 consumers, all of whom were mainly responsible for food purchases. The analysis investigated the moderating effect of food risk perception on the relationship between food labeling perception and the purchase of labeled food. Regarding the purchase of labeled food, statistically significant effects were noted for gender, educational level, perception of food labeling, and perception of food risk; however, the interaction effect of perceptions of food labeling and food risk was not statistically significant. With regard to the intention to pay higher prices for safe food, except for age, statistically significant effects were observed for gender, educational level, food expenditure, perception of food labeling, and perception of food risk; moreover, the interaction effect of perceptions of food labeling and food risk was significant. The results indicate that consumers reporting low food labeling perception and low purchase of labeled food were most vulnerable regarding food safety; therefore, it is necessary to provide such consumers with food label provision methods and specified education programs.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.691-702
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• 2015

This study examined the levels of risk perception of food risk elements by adopting a psychometric paradigm and analyzed factors affecting concerns about food risk elements to obtain basic materials for food safety policy. The data were collected from 296 housewives in Daegu, Korea, by a self-administered questionnaire. Frequency distributions, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, factor analysis, Cronbach's ${alpha}$, and multiple regression analyses were conducted by SPSS 21.0. The mean level of concern for food safety was 3.75/5.00 points, and the mean percentage of correct answers about heavy metal contamination was highest among food risk elements. The respondents perceived radioactive contaminated foods, GM foods, and endocrine disruptors as a new, delayed, scientifically unknown, involuntary, serious, and uncontrollable risk in risk perception. According to the result of factor analysis for risk perception, two factors such as non-controllability and dread were categorized. In the risk perception map, radioactive contaminated foods and GM foods were considered as an uncontrollable and dreaded risk, heavy metal contamination, endocrine disruptors, and pesticide residues as a controllable and dreaded risk, and foodborne illness and food additives as a controllable and less dreaded risk. On the other hand, the levels of concerns about food risk elements were higher in order of radioactive contaminated foods, GM foods, and endocrine disruptors. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that age, concern for food safety, percentage of correct answers about food risk elements, non-controllability, and dread influenced the concerns about food risk elements. These results imply that food safety policies should consider differences in consumer's risk perception of food risk elements.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.481-490
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• 2010

The shock of melamine-contained food has been known with the incident of hospitalization or death of infants at the age of 11-month old in China. The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' risk perception, attitude and purchase behavior of melamine-contained food which recently came to the fore as a social issue, focusing on the relationship between consumers' attitude and purchase behavior based on physical risk, social risk, psychological risk, financial risk, consumers' attitude and purchase behavior. Study findings are as follows. First, the four factors of risk perception of melamine-contained food were significantly different by consumers. Consumers regarded social risk as most significant and it was followed by financial risk and psychological risk. And they regarded physical risk as most insignificant. Second, as for the difference of risk perception by demographic features, such factors as gender, age, marital status and schooling had no statistically significant influence. Third, the potential risk of melamine-contained food had a negative influence upon consumers' attitude and purchase behavior. In addition, consumers' attitude and purchase behavior were decided by perceived risks. This finding implies that consumers' attitude can accompany with negative or positive behavior and consumers' behavior can be related to social, financial and physical risks. Because the risk perception of melamine-contained food can cause consumers' distrust about all kinds of food in general, domestic manufacturers of milk product-contained confectionery and food can be harmed. In order to overcome this problem and make consumers purchase all the milk products and milk-contained food without fear, governmental agencies must reestablish systems with which the safety of imported raw materials and its processing can be insured and manufactures must improve the quality of products in a diverse and discriminative manner. This study seems to be meaningful in that it examined consumers' risk perception of melamine-contained food, a current social issue, and then looked into the influence of risk perception upon consumers" attitude and behavior, thus presenting the strategy of reestablishing the system of relationship between consumers and business entities in a desirable manner.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.643-649
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to assess the prospective teachers' perception of food risk with the goal of providing the ways to improve their knowledge and perception of food risk. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and offered to 307 freshman and sophomore in an elementary teacher-cultivating university located in Seoul. The collected data were analyzed in terms of frequencies, cross tabulation analysis, t-test and ANONA with a deviation level of 5% using SPSS 15.0. The results of this research were as follows: 'Taste' was identified as an important factor for purchasing food (54.4%), and 'Manufacture date/expiration date' (67.0%) was checked first before food was purchased. The respondants viewed food additives (66.8%) followed by environmental contaminants (17.6%) as the most dangerous factors for food consumption. Even though they did not know the actual level of risk these factors posed to food, they still perceived them as dangerous. Most of them did not have any educational experiences on food risk, and if any, their sources of information were TV (46.6%) and the internet (19.5%). And, they did want to have information on food risk through TV, radio (41.1%) and the internet(16.4%). Based on the above results, the subjects who have great potential to influence children appeared not to have sound knowledge or a balanced perception of food risks. Therefore, systematic educational opportunities for prospective teachers should be provided to promote food risk communication.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.585-592
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• 2014

The purpose of this article was to research the effects of physical environment on risk perception in customers at raw-fish restaurants in the Northeastern area of Kangwon province, South Korea. In this research, reliability analysis, factor analysis and path analysis were carried out. Physical environments were divided into four factors and risk perception into three factors. 'Exterior facility' had a negative influence on performance (p<0.001) and financial risk (p<0.001). 'Interior facility' negatively affected performance risk (p<0.001), financial risk (p<0.001) and time risk (p<0.001). 'The others' negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.05). Lastly, 'press copy' negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.001). Based on these results, various physical environments affected the risk perception in customers at raw-fish restaurants, and satisfaction level of customers was based on risk perceptions. As a result, food-service companies need to manage the physical environment as a marketing strategy, as well as reduce risk perception to increase customers loyalty.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.153-168
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• 2011

This study investigated the relationship between consumers' knowledge and risk perception towards purchase intention of organic food. The data were collected from a sample of 311 housewives in Seoul and Ulsan. A structural equation modelling technique was used to test the causal model. The results indicated that subjective knowledge was significantly associated with purchasing organic food. Objective knowledge, in contrast, was only indirectly associated with purchasing organic food, through increased subjective knowledge and risk perception towards purchasing organic food. Risk perception towards organic food had a direct positive and relatively strong relationship with purchasing organic food. Implications of the results and limitations of the study were discussed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2010

Nanotechnology is the fastest growing area in scientific research and it has important applications in a wide variety of fields. Nevertheless, consumers encountered this new technology without any identification of risks and benefits. Also until now, there are no specific safety evaluation methods for nanotechnology. For this reason, we studied risk communication strategy for nanotechnology to prepare its application in commercialized products on public. A survey was conducted to identify the differences in perception between public (N=110) and expert (N=37) toward applied nanotechnology in food, drugs and cosmetic products. The survey results were used to draw up a risk cognitive map which was introduced by Paul Slovic, and the perception level of public and expert on nanotechnology was evaluated. As a result of the survey, public recognized nanotechnology as "unknown but low dread" risk factor, but expert recognized it as "unknown and high dread" risk factor. These results indicate that there are perception differences between two groups. Several risk communication strategies are reported including care, consensus and risk communication. In the case of nanotechnology, it contains both risks and benefits. Considering the nature of nanotechnology, the "consensus communication" which informs consumers about risks and benefits of issues is the most appropriate strategy.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.511-520
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• 2010

The purpose of this article was to study how the 7Ps influence consumers' risk perception of eating at family restaurants in Seoul. In this study, frequency analysis, reliability analysis, factor analysis and path analysis (SEM) of the data were performed. First, reliability analysis confirmed that the 7Ps performance and risk data could be used in this investigation. Path analysis showed that the 7Ps significantly influenced customers' risk perception of eating at restaurants in Seoul. According to the results, product negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.05) and financial risk (p<0.001); price negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.001), financial risk (p<0.001), and time risk (p<0.01); place negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.01) and time risk (p<0.001); promotion negatively influenced financial risk (p<0.05) and time risk (p<0.001); process negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.001) and time risk (p<0.001); physical evidence negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.05) and financial risk (p<0.001); and people negatively influenced performance risk (p<0.05), financial risk (p<0.001), and time risk (p<0.001). As a result, we confirmed that 7Ps were an effective marketing tactic for reducing consumers' risk perception of eating at restaurants. Therefore, family restaurant companies are recommended to administer the 7Ps without additional cost.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.167-175
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• 2016

After Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Korean government banned to import of Japanese fishery products that comes from north region of Japan. As 'fishery product trade dispute' between Korea and Japan is still in progress, consumers have been threatened their food safety. This study is to examine the factors influencing consumer's risk perception to Japanese fishery products and risk taking behavior. Survey was conducted with 1,500 adult during sep-oct 2012. The result can represent the role of affect with risk perception of Japanese fishery product. People who have negative affect to Japanese fishery products have higher risk perception. Also negative affection can influence to risk taking behavior. However the degree of fatalism is not significant factor to risk taking behavior.