Perceived effectiveness of framed flour safety messages and consumer-informed design features for on-package flour safety labels

Food safety messages and labels are important tools for communicating risks associated with food and promoting preventive behaviors when handling food. Given the implication of flour in recent foodborne outbreaks and recalls, efforts have been made to communicate risk to consumers. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the potential of these messages to effect behavioral change. This study used the UNC Perceived Message Effectiveness (UNC PME) scale to evaluate the effectiveness of three flour safety messages: the control message (the current predominant message on flour packages), the loss-framed message (emphasizing the negative consequences of unsafe flour handling), and the neutral message (an informational-only message). The study also tested consumers' preferences for five features of a flour safety label: message type, signal markers, label shape, icon, and background color. A national sample of US wheat flour consumers (N=1212) participated in an online survey. Each participant was presented with the three flour safety messages. The participants were asked to rate each message on the UNC PME scale to determine the potential of the message to effect a behavioral change. Participants were further asked to determine their preferences for various label features with the intent to create a flour safety label. Loss (PME= 4.09±0.03) and neutral (PME= 4.04±0.03) framed messages were perceived as significantly more effective than the control message (PME= 3.91±0.03). There was also a higher preference for Loss message than the other message types (56.6% of study population). Further analysis to determine the features of a flour safety label revealed that 62% of participants preferred an octagonal shape, and there was also a higher preference for "warning" as a signal marker on the label. This study provides evidence-based guidance for developing flour safety messages and labels that effectively communicate risks to consumers.