Public risk perception of food additives and food scares. The case in Suzhou, China

• Two-hundred and nine consumers from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China were surveyed in this study.
• We added risk perception and information perception to analyze public food scares.
• We applied SEM to study the purchase intention after food safety incidents.
• Information and risk perception exerted moderate to high effect on food scares.
• The conclusions have valuable policy implications for the Chinese government.

This study examined the factors affecting public risk perception of food additive safety and possible resulting food scares using a survey conducted in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. The model was proposed based on literature relating to the role of risk perception and information perception of public purchase intention under food scares. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis. The results showed that attitude towards behavior, subjective norm and information perception exerted moderate to high effect on food scares, and the effects were also mediated by risk perceptions of additive safety. Significant covariance was observed between attitudes toward behavior, subjective norm and information perception. Establishing an effective mechanism of food safety risk communication, releasing information of government supervision on food safety in a timely manner, curbing misleading media reports on public food safety risk, and enhancing public knowledge of the food additives are key to the development and implementation of food safety risk management policies by the Chinese government.