Food safety perceptions and risk-mitigation strategies: spillover effects of African swine fever on consumer meat choices in Vietnam

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.