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TABLE 3. Consumer priorities in media selection for foodborne illness outbreak information
and platform performance comparisons (social media vs. Web sites)

Priorities

Mean

Accuracy
Timeliness
Searchability (e.g., search function)
Security - less likely to have a virus
Trustworthiness (source)
Linkability
(e.g., links to additional information)
Security - allows control of privacy setting
Interactivity
Applicability/Saliency
Security - less likely to track user data
Security - fewer or no advertisements
Enhanced usability - visuals
(e.g., pictures and videos)
Familiarity

315
314
315
315
314

6.57a
6.27ab
6.00bc
5.70cd
5.57de

313

1,2

Platform3
Websites

Social media4

0.97
1.04
1.33
1.52
1.53

89%
57%
71%
54%
88%

11%
43%
29%
46%
12%

5.48de

1.42

51%

49%

313
315
345
314
315

5.34def
5.30def
5.22def
5.20ef
5.19ef

1.61
1.67
1.63
1.63
1.6

20%
30%
50%
83%
75%

80%
70%
50%
17%
25%

314

5.02f

1.68

53%

47%

344

4.88g

1.75

54%

46%

Mean is rated by participants on a 7-point Likert scale where 1= not at all important and 7 = extremely important.

The superscript letters in this column represent results of multiple group comparisons (Tukey comparisons at α = 0.05).

The percentages represent the proportion of participants who indicated that websites or social media deliver superior
performance against each criterion.

e.g., Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

found to be relatively unimportant to consumers (Table
3). In addition, social media do not provide a particularly
strong search function, which consumers considered to be
the most important media characteristic. Social media may
also suffer from their limited control over design features.
For example, search functions on social media sites are
controlled by the social media owners or corporate owners
of the sites, making it very difficult if not impossible to
improve this feature.
Many participants expressed concerns about using
social media to gather food safety information, especially
with regard to information accuracy. The results were
echoed when social media and websites were directly
compared by use of the performance criteria (Table
3). Respondents' perceptions were that the websites
performed better for all criteria except interactivity.
Participants felt that websites, compared with social
media, supported better searchability, provided more
timely and accurate information, supplied more security,
and stood out for their ability to provide more accurate

and trustworthy information. In fact, 78% and 76% more
participants indicated that websites outperform social
media with regard to accuracy and trustworthiness.
DISCUSSION
Conclusions and implications
Broader dissemination of foodborne illness outbreak
information may help engage consumers and contribute
to overall improvement in food safety. Results of this
study demonstrate the importance of the Internet in food
safety communications about foodborne illness outbreaks.
Despite the great potential of social media, at present,
websites are the preferred platform for communication
about foodborne illness outbreaks. This does not mean
that the advantages of social media are not valuable;
their potential in other aspects (e.g., supporting greater
interaction) should still be explored.
Results suggested a number of possible reasons for
consumers' preference for websites over social media for
obtaining foodborne illness outbreak information. First,

July/August Food Protection Trends

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - July/August 2017