Awareness of foodborne pathogens among US consumers Chung-Tung Jordan Lin a,1 , Kimberly L. Jensen b,2 , Steven T. Yen b, * a Division of Market Studies, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD 20740, United States b Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4518, United States Received 5 May 2004; received in revised form 25 June 2004; accepted 14 July 2004 Available online 11 September 2004 Abstract Each year in the United States, microbial pathogens cause millions of cases of foodborne disease and result in many hospitali- zations and deaths. Effective consumer education programs to promote safer food handling practices and other averting behaviors may benefit from consumer awareness of microbial pathogens. This paper investigates US consumersÕ awareness of four major microbial pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and Escherichia coli) as food safety problems, using a multivariate probit model. The awareness varies among pathogens and the variations appear to be related to differences in the number and severity of illnesses associated with these pathogens. Our findings suggest that awareness of microbial pathogens is associated with food safety perceptions, awareness of potentially risky foods and substances associated with potential food safety hazards, food safety related behaviors, and demographics. There are differentiated effects of variables on awareness of the four pathogens. Ó 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Consumer awareness; Foodborne pathogens; Multivariate probit 1. Introduction Each year, microbial pathogens cause as many as 76 million cases of foodborne illness, 324,000 hospitali- zations, and 5200 deaths in the United States (Mead et al., 1999). The more common pathogens associated with foodborne illness include Salmonella, Campylob- acter jejuni, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Table 1). Some victims of E. coli O157:H7 caused illness, particu- larly the very young, have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), characterized by renal failure and hemolytic anemia which can lead to permanent loss of kidney function (FDA-CFSAN, 2003a). Foodborne illness associated with Listeria monocytogenes, though relatively low in number (Table 1), is associated with many deaths (CAST, 1994; FDA-CFSAN, 2003a). Also, listeriosis in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, fetal death, and severe illness or death of a newborn in- fant (FDA-CFSAN, 2003d). Annual costs of foodborne illness in the United States have been estimated between $10 and $83 billion (FDA-CFSAN, 2003c). The US Department of AgricultureÕs Economic Research Service estimates that the costs associated with five major path- ogens alone (Escherichia coli O157:H7, other Shiga tox- in-producing E. coli (STECs), Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella) amount to at least $6.9 billion annually (USDA-ERS, 2000). While practices of food suppliers and food service establishments play an important role in reducing food- borne illness (CAST, 1994), existing research suggests that a substantial proportion of foodborne illness is attributable to improper in-home food handling, prep- aration, and consumption practices by consumers (CAST, 1994; Redmond & Griffith, 2003). Improper 0950-3293/$ - see front matter Ó 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2004.07.001 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 865 974 7474; fax: +1 865 974 4829. E-mail addresses: chung-tung.lin@cfsan.fda.gov (C.-T.J. Lin), kjensen@utk.edu (K.L. Jensen), syen@utk.edu (S.T. Yen). 1 Tel.: +1 301 436 1831; fax: +1 301 436 2626. 2 Tel.: +1 865 974 3716; fax: +1 865 974 4829. www.elsevier.com/locate/foodqual Food Quality and Preference 16 (2005) 401–412