Food-borne zoonoses and the consumer: Fear, panic and the role of the mass news media

Abstract

The aim was to analyze the role of fear and panic caused by a zoonosis in the development of eating habits and rituals. The news media, being the source of information for the consumers about infectious agents having a high morbidity arid mortality, can cause fear and panic about foodstuffs of animal origin. In this way, they play an important role during changes in eating habits, many of which become rituals. Rituals affect consumers' behavior and perceived needs regardless of socio-economic class, thus they increase consumption. Hence, the mass news media for selling profit-making information or promoting one kind of food against another, or the products of one country against those of another could use fear and panic caused by zoonoses. © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. Allrights reserved.