Consumers’ Perception of Food Safety Risk From Vegetables: A Rural - Urban Comparison

Rapid urbanization brings challenges to managing food safety in Vietnam. Today, consumers pay more attention to the safety of food, particularly vegetables. This paper investigates the impact of consumer perception of food safety risk on self-reported vegetable consumption and then compares the determinants of risk perception between the rural and the urban region. We conducted a survey and observe a decline in self-reported vegetable consumption as a consequence of heightened risk perception among residents in the Hanoi area. The differences, as well as the similarities in the underlying drivers of risk perception, were identified across regions. In both regions, information about food incidents and perceived consequence of hazards associated with vegetables shaped risk perception of vegetables. Respondents’ age, education, and trust in food retailers at wet markets determined risk perception in the rural area, but not in the urban region. Personal experience with vegetable poisoning, whether the household was growing vegetables, perceived control over hazards, and trust in responsible institutions only influenced risk perception in the urban region. We suggest that these spatial disparities in behaviours should be taken into account in designing and implementing risk communication programs and food safety policies in Vietnam.