Does information on food safety affect consumers’ acceptance of new food technologies? The case of irradiated beef in South Korea under a new labelling system and across different information regimes

Consumer aversion to new food technologies may be partly explained by the gap between the problem that the technology solves and what consumers actually understand about the food technology. This study assesses how accepting consumers are of food irradiation when exposed to prior information about food safety-related issues. Using a hypothetical discrete choice experiment, this study also explores consumer demand for a new food irradiation labelling system in South Korea under different information on food irradiation (positive, negative, and positive and negative). The results indicate that Korean consumers have a negative perception of irradiated foods and that they fail to link the use of food irradiation as a vehicle to solve food safety issues, even with the new version of the irradiated food label. However, providing consumers with information about food safety-related issues alongside with the benefits implied by the use of food irradiation resulted in more general acceptance of food irradiation. Furthermore, we conclude with a discussion of the relevant implications for policymakers, academics and food industry professionals.