able to generate the necessary informationthat can be usedto developa targeted
communication strategy.
By takingdue account of the attitudechangetheories withregard to dual-
processing of information, it should be possible to understand what cues
associatedwithdifferentmessages will motivateconsumers to readand process
the risk information. For example, it maybe possible to enhance information
processingby using emotionsor affectivefactors.
Finally, in the caseof consumer-basedfoodsafetyobjectivesit is important
to validate the impactof changed consumer behaviouron microbial contami-
nation, by conducting additional microbiological measurements, implying
furthercooperationbetweenthe naturaland social sciences.
So, for a comprehensiveunderstandingof the effectsof consumer behaviour
withregard to hygiene-relatedfood safetypracticesand to understandthe
effectivenessof informationinterventionsaimedat those consumers and the
subsequentchanges in behaviour, a closecooperation between naturaland social
scientistsis required.
6.6.1 Implications beyond consumers
Up to this pointthe discussionin this chapterhas focusedon the consumer. In
part,this is because mostresearchinto humanbehaviour and foodsafety has had
the same focus. This maybe because consumerbehaviouris the onlypart of the
foodchainthat cannotbe enforcedto complywithfoodsafety standards. Thus
understanding consumerbehaviour, and developinginterventionsto reducerisky
practices,maybe the onlywayto improve publichealthassociatedwithfood
safety. However, it is likely that professionalworkers in the foodindustry (for
example, in the catering sector)are boundby the same psychologicalfactorsas
consumers. Afterall, workers,as highlyskilled as theymaybe, are humanslike
all of us. Thus the provisionto workers in the cateringsectorwitha largeand
possibly complicated safety manual will not guarantee that the rules and
guidelinescontained in the manual are followed.Foodindustry and catering
workers not onlyhaveto followthese rules,but theyalso haveto complyto the
production standards set by theiremployer and regulatorybodies.
If the companyhas a goodsafetypolicy, this might go a longwayin
generating an adequate level of worker motivation towards compliance.
However, if the regulationsare too complex, or inappropriately presentedor
described, their correct implementation might lie beyond the cognitive
capabilities of the employeesinvolved in foodpreparation, especiallyin a
stressful or time-limitedsituation (Wickens and Hollands,2000).Thismightbe
the caseespeciallyfor the hoteland cateringindustry, whichis oftenunder
considerabletimepressureand in whichthe staffoftenlacksformaltraining.
In the manufacturingindustry in general(for example, withinthe fieldof
modern aviation)a lot of effort is spenton `human factors':interfacesand
proceduresare specifically designedto accommodatethe operator'scognitive
potentialevenin situations of extreme stress,in orderto prevent the potentially
114 Handbookof hygiene controlin the foodindustry