Food Protection Trends - November/December 2023 - 449

Food irradiation could substantially reduce foodborne
illness. It has been estimated that irradiating 50% of meat
and poultry in the United States could prevent an estimated
853,000 cases of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia
coli O157 infections; 7,300 hospitalizations; and 185
deaths per year (29). However, the potential public health
impact of irradiation extends beyond meat and poultry (26,
34). Increasingly, foodborne outbreaks have been linked
to produce, which is often consumed raw (5). Produce is
estimated to account for approximately 38% of foodborne
Salmonella infections and 64% of foodborne Shiga toxin-
producing E. coli infections (17). Irradiation may be
particularly useful for produce that is consumed raw, because
there are often no other steps consumers can take to reduce
or eliminate any bacteria present (e.g., cooking). However,
food irradiation in the United States has largely only been
used for pest control in spices, grains, and fruits (20). Despite
food irradiation's documented safety, current global usage,
and potential public health impact, the technology is largely
underutilized for food safety in the United States; consumer
acceptance is often cited as a significant barrier (6, 22).
Given possible changes in consumers' awareness of and
concern about foodborne illness and changes in consumer
food-purchasing trends over the last 30 years, it is an
opportune time to revisit consumer acceptance of food
irradiation in today's context to inform foodborne illness
prevention efforts. Consumer acceptance research on food
irradiation was largely conducted in the 1990s and early
2000s. Over the last decade, the number of large, multistate
foodborne outbreaks has increased (24). Several large,
multistate outbreaks, such as the E. coli O157 outbreaks
linked to romaine lettuce during 2018-2019 (23) and the
Salmonella Newport outbreak linked to ground beef during
2018 (7), received a considerable amount of media attention
and had major impacts on the affected supply chains.
Research has also identified consumers' growing expectation
for food safety, especially for meats (18).
The purpose of this project was to assess current consumer
knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward irradiation as a
food safety intervention and identify barriers and facilitators
to purchasing irradiated food in today's context. The findings
of this project will help identify key components to consumer
acceptance of irradiated foods to help inform consumerdriven
educational interventions for irradiated foods within
the United States.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This activity was reviewed by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and was conducted
consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy.
We conducted seven focus groups (56 total participants)
to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding
irradiation as a food safety intervention. All meetings were
held virtually via Zoom, were 90 min in length, and were
conducted March 15-18, 2021. Participants were stratified
into three groups: adults aged 18-64 years, parents of
children aged 0-4 years, and adults aged 65 years and older.
These groups were chosen because children younger than
5 years and adults aged 65 years and older are at higher risk
for serious health complications from foodborne illness (8).
Each participant received $75 for participation.
Sampling and participant screening
Hager Sharp (Washington, D.C.) worked with a national
market research recruitment vendor to recruit participants
for the groups. The market research firm maintains a national
database that individuals opt into to participate in studies
for which they are eligible. Individuals who responded to
the initial call for participants for this study then underwent
additional screening for eligibility. All demographic
characteristics were self-identified by participants during
the recruitment process, and all individuals screened were
over the age of 18 years. There were five exclusion criteria
for participant screening: (1) having participated in a
focus group within the past 6 months; (2) being employed
by a market research company, an advertising agency or
public relations firm, or the media or a being a healthcare
professional; (3) not having access to a computer or mobile
device with a web camera and high-speed internet; (4)
not doing at least half of the grocery shopping for one's
household; and (5) not comfortable speaking and reading
in English. If respondents met the recruitment criteria,
they were provided with the study objectives, purpose,
participation requirements, activities the study entailed, and
potential risks associated with participation. If respondents
agreed to participate, their contact information, including
telephone numbers and email, were collected. A confirmation
email was then sent that included the date, time, and link to
participate in the focus groups. Participants also received
a telephone reminder at least 24 h before the session to
confirm participation.
A quota sampling method was used to select participants
from the market research vendor's recruitment database to
form a sample with varying demographic characteristics.
Quota sampling is a nonrandom sampling technique in
which participants are chosen based on predetermined
characteristics so that the total sample will have distribution
of characteristics similar to that of the target population (28).
This sampling strategy was chosen to help explore consumer
knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward food irradiation
among groups diverse in age, sex, race or ethnicity, education,
urbanicity, and attitudes toward food technology. Urbanicity
was measured using the Office of Management and Budget
definition (31). Attitudes toward food technology were
assessed through two screening questions that asked to what
extent participants agreed with the following statements: (1)
" I avoid purchasing and eating GMO, or genetically modified,
foods, " and (2) " As much as possible, I only purchase and
November/December Food Protection Trends 449
Food Protection Trends - November/December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - November/December 2023
