"Evaluation of the ALERT Campaign"

October 2007 to October 2008

The Center for Risk Communication Research was awarded a one year $135,000 grant from the Food and Drug Administration and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.  The objectives of this research are to assess how widespread awareness of the ALERT campaign is, to determine if ALERT increases knowledge about ways to ensure the safety of the food supply, to increases awareness of potential ways the food supply could be intentionally contaminated, and to determine if ALERT is persuasive in that it encourages the adoption of practices that help protect the food supply.

To achieve these objectives, qualitative interviews will be administered to first line supervisors in all eight areas of interest: food growers, food service operators, food transporters, food retailers, food regulators, food packers, food processors, and food warehousers.  These interviews will inform a quantitative web survey that will be distributed widely.

Researchers:

• Monique Mitchell Turner, Center for Risk Communication Research
• Christine Skubisz, Center for Risk Communication Research
• Elena Bessarabova Banas, Center for Risk Communication Research
• Linda Verrill, Food and Drug Administration
• Edmundo Garcia, Food and Drug Administration
• Wesley Long, Food and Drug Administration