A recent study that was published in npj Science of Food investigates the spillover effects that food recalls have on consumer perceptions and confidence. The study is based on an experiment that was carried out in Beijing, China, where researchers designed various milk recall scenarios and asked consumers to respond to their assigned scenarios with a questionnaire. The results of the study indicate that food safety scares negatively and significantly impact consumers’ purchasing decisions, especially for e-commerce. The study’s findings also show that voluntary recalls by e-commerce retailers may restore online sales less effectively than for brick-and-mortar retailers.
The survey was conducted in January 2020 and collected 360 responses. The majority (59 percent) of participants reported making online purchases frequently, and 68 percent reported purchasing milk at least once a week. After being exposed to a milk recall scenario, participants were asked to respond to three questions: