Food safety perceptions and risk-mitigation strategies

Spillover effects of African swine fever on consumer meat choices in Vietnam

Bibliographic Data

ID21294844
AuthorsLuis Emilio Morales (0000-0001-6935-9634, UNE Business School, University of New England), Nam Hoang (0000-0003-2938-1209, UNE Business School, University of New England), Nam Huu Hoang (University of New England), Alison Colvin (University of New England), Xuan Ba Nguyen (Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry), Thi Nga Bui (0000-0001-9998-3227, Vietnam National University, Hanoi), Thi Kim Cuc Ngo (0000-0003-2451-4922, National Institute of Animal Science), Thi Le Quyen Ngo (National Institute of Animal Science), Huu Van Nguyen (0000-0001-8294-6067, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry)
Year2026
Volume128
Issue13
Pages413-430
Publication date2026-12-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Food Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-070X • E-ISSN: 1758-4108
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/bfj-09-2025-1283
OpenAlexW7138461090
LanguageEN
References cited42

Purpose This study examines how animal disease outbreaks influence consumer behaviour beyond directly affected species. It investigates food safety perceptions and risk-mitigation strategies during the 2019 African Swine Fever outbreak, focusing on spillover effects on goat meat consumption in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of 470 goat meat consumers in ten provinces of Vietnam was analysed using multinomial logistic regression to identify socio-demographic, perceptual and attitudinal drivers of risk-mitigation strategies. Findings While most consumers did not alter goat meat consumption, 17% changed their behaviour due to perceived spillover risks. Among them, 12.5% became more cautious, 4.2% reduced consumption and 1.5% increased it. Urban consumers were more likely to adopt cautious behaviours. Spending a larger share of income on food and viewing goat meat as convenient increased the likelihood of reducing consumption, while familiarity with goat meat and perceiving it as natural reduced this likelihood. Research limitations/implications There is a need for clear communication and trust-building to avoid unwarranted demand shifts across unrelated meats. Strengthening safety assurance, certification and consumer education is critical to sustaining confidence and market stability. Future studies could examine cross-country responses to assess spillover effects globally. Originality/value This is the first study linking food safety perceptions with risk-mitigation strategies and highlighting spillover effects of disease outbreaks on unrelated meats. It advances the understanding of consumer behaviour in crises and provides insights for policy and industry

Certification · Consumer behaviour · Consumption (sociology) · Food safety · Multinomial logistic regression · Ordered logit · Outbreak · Perception · Spillover effect · Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology · Food Safety and Hygiene · Organic Food and Agriculture

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Open DOIOpen Access