fbtechreview.comJUNE 20248in myviewBy Adeniyi A Odugbemi, PhD, Global Director of Food Safety, ADMNew regulations, food safety events, technologies, and other happenings continue to shape the way food businesses operate and the impact that food has on the lives of consumers. Furthermore, the diffusion of online fake news about food and food safety is becoming increasingly fast-paced and widespread, making it more difficult for the public to recognize reliable information and deploying negative media trends. We need a collective voice in the food industry to engage with followers on social media to provide information about food safety and answer pertinent questions that follow. This builds trust and ultimately promotes safe food handling and practices.This also help to ensure that only credible information is provided to consumers.Misinformation about food processing and handling practices harms consumption patterns and creates anxiety among consumers. Fake news and rumors have a particularly negative impact and have affected the purchasing and consumption patterns of consumers. For example, consumers often stop buying certain products or foods due to false rumors spreading on social media, which negatively impacts food businesses and restaurants and decreases economic value. Food security risks also abound; when social media proposes that certain foods are safer than other conventionally grown foods, consumers may have a false sense of security when consuming certain types of food without precautions to prevent contamination. Thus, a necessary tool to protect food safety, food security, and food sustainability within the social media space has become imperative.Fifty-nine percent of the world's population uses social media; according to Pew Research Center, 7 in 10 American adults scroll on Facebook repeatedly throughout their day. Unfortunately, unverified and baseless information is increasingly being disseminated and accessed through social media applications, and our quickly globalizing world results in headlines being spread across multiple regions. Despite better connections and a more informed public, no one is on the same page on how to fact check erroneous information. There is no uniform standard for content moderation, and there is also no uniform takedown mechanism or tolerance level for false postings. Therefore, food industry experts have urged authorities on the need to monitor inaccurate reports and put out clarifications as soon as possible to show that food safety and quality parameters are non-negotiable. Food and beverage operators (FBOs) as corporate entities must mitigate information on social media content on platforms to reduce the risks of false news in the food industry. Consumer expectations of food have evolved, causing a shift in the derived value. Expectations of consumers now include more factors; these factors include array and price, convenience and safety, nutritional characteristics, how FOOD SAFETY IN THE NEWS: FIGHTING THE SOCIAL MEDIA WAR
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