Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
3%
8%
4%
TV
Newspaper
Radio
Internet
Person
Elsewhere
9%
5%
71%
Figure 19.2.
Where Americans fi rst heard about the spinach recall.
Note:
N = 1,027.
Table 19.2.
Americans' knowledge of types of spinach recalled
Type of Spinach
“ True ” (was recalled)
“ False ” (was not recalled)
“ Don ' t know ”
Recalled:
Bagged fresh
95%
1%
4%
Loose fresh
68%
16%
16%
Not Recalled:
Frozen
22%
57%
21%
Canned
16%
70%
14%
Note
: N = 1,029.
with others. However, their knowledge of many of the important details of the recall
was signifi cantly incomplete.
For example, one of the key messages during the spinach recall was that consumers
should not eat
any
fresh spinach, whether sold loose or in a bag. However, because
neither frozen nor canned spinach was suspected of having been contaminated, the
FDA made a point in some of its press releases to say that both frozen and canned
spinach were safe for consumers to eat.
To test the extent to which consumers paid attention to these specifi c messages,
respondents who were aware of the recall were asked a series of true/false questions
about whether each of four types of spinach had been recalled (Table 19.2).
Impressively, nearly all (95%) of the respondents correctly reported that it was true
that “bagged fresh spinach” had been recalled. However, only two-thirds (68%) knew
that “loose fresh spinach” had been recalled. By comparison, only 70% knew that
