Risk Perception and the Determination of the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP): The Case of the Fukushima Seafood Dispute

This study examines the role of public risk perception in the formation of food safety policies and analyzes its implications for the determination of the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) under the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). While the SPS Agreement emphasizes scientific evidence and risk assessment as the primary basis for food safety regulations, policy decisions regarding acceptable levels of risk are often influenced by broader policy environments and public risk perception.<br/> Drawing on the theoretical framework of risk society and risk perception research, this study explores how public perceptions of risk may influence national policy responses to food safety concerns. The analysis focuses on the case of South Korea’s import restrictions on seafood products from regions surrounding Fukushima following the 2011 nuclear accident. The Fukushima incident generated significant public concern over radioactive contamination, which in turn shaped policy debates regarding food safety regulation.<br/> The findings suggest that food safety policies are grounded in scientific risk assessment but are implemented through risk management processes that are influenced by policy environments and public perceptions of risk. In this context, the concept of ALOP should be understood not merely as a technical outcome of scientific evaluation but as a policy-oriented standard reflecting national priorities and societal risk tolerance. The Fukushima seafood dispute illustrates how public risk perception may influence regulatory choices within the risk management process under the SPS framework.<br/> These findings indicate that analyses of food safety regulation under the SPS Agreement should consider not only scientific evidence but also the broader policy environment in which risk management decisions are made.