Predictive Models of Consumer Flour-Handling Behaviors and Recall Awareness

In recent years, many recalls have been linked to flour and flour-based products. However, many consumers remain unaware of these recalls and continue to perform risky flour-handling behaviors. Food recalls are an essential tool for manufacturers, distributors, and government agencies to inform consumers about foods that may cause health issues, which has the potential to change consumers' food safety behaviors. In this study, researchers constructed model-ensembles to predict and identify the top predicting factors for consumers' flour recall awareness and their safe flour-handling behaviors. Researchers also tested the impact of the volume of flour recalls within a consumer's state of residence on their recall awareness and flour-handling behaviors. Findings indicate that consumers who perceive a higher likelihood of flour recall, aged between 18 and 24, and who pay attention to the lot number, are more likely to be aware of flour recalls. Consumers who perceive the risks of eating raw dough or batter, believe raw chicken poses a microbial risk, and are younger, are more likely to have an increased flour-handling behavior score. However, the volume of recalls in a consumer's state of residence was found to have a low predictive ability for consumers' flour recall awareness and safe flour-handling behaviors. This is the first study utilizing predictive modeling to investigate the critical factors affecting consumers' flour recall awareness and handling behaviors. The findings emphasize the importance of risk perceptions in shaping consumers' behaviors and provide implications for policymakers, food safety experts, and educators in tailoring communication strategies to enhance consumers' risk perceptions and thereby reduce their likelihood of contracting foodborne illnesses due to improper flour-handling behaviors.