State Food Safety Agencies’ Use of Social Media
Jessica Holthaus Badour
Recall Outreach Specialist
Georgia Department of Agriculture Food Safety Division
International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI)
2014 Fellow in Applied Science, Law, and Policy: Fellowship in Food Protection
Author Note:
Jessica Holthaus Badour, Recall Outreach Specialist
Georgia Department of Agriculture Food Safety Division
This research was conducted as part of the IFPTI Fellowship in Food Protection, Cohort IV.
Correspondence concerning this article may be addressed directly to Jessica.Badour@agr.georgia.gov.
Abstract
This exploratory study examined the effectiveness of state food safety agencies’ use of social media to communicate with stakeholders during recalls. The study analyzed responses representing 27 states using a mixed-method approach, incorporating 28 quantitative web-based survey responses and eight qualitative interviews of recall coordinators (or an equivalent position). The author sought to gain further understanding of the following: 1. The most commonly used social media tools by state food safety agencies, 2. length of use of these tools, 3. factors for recall communication, and 4. whether respondents believe social media is an effective communication tool. The study found 23 respondent agencies to be using social media, and 11 respondents specifically indicated social media use during recalls. However, four of the respondents were unaware of the agency’s social media use, and some of the food safety staff members were not regularly involved in developing recall messaging. While communication via social media was not necessarily consistent or evaluated for effective outreach from one recall event to another, social media communication provided an immediate outlet for information, and respondents believed social media could be an effective tool for communicating recalls. Study limitations included not incorporating federal or local agencies and only completing a basic content analysis of the study responses with limited interviews.
Key terms: social media, recall notification, recall fatigue, Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS), Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS), Voluntary National Retail Food Program Standards (VNRFPS), Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS)
Background
National food and feed regulatory program standards require states to develop recall programs, including the ability to communicate and educate stakeholders about food and feed safety and defense issues. As states strive to meet full conformance with these standards and work toward a nationally integrated food safety system (IFSS), improved routes of communication are a strong avenue for state food safety agencies to create a faster, more effective dialogue with stakeholders regarding foodborne illness outbreaks and recall events (Elliott, 2011).
However, there are challenges to ensuring recall information has reached the entire distribution chain down to the consumer level. During foodborne illness outbreaks, even with highly-publicized recalls, consumers have continued eating recalled products, causing additional illnesses (Layton, 2010). Recall notices have become so frequent that regulators, food processors, and consumer experts are concerned that the public is suffering from “recall fatigue” (Layton, 2010).
Consumers may additionally suffer “optimistic bias,” where they assume that they are less susceptible to a recall and that the message is aimed at more vulnerable individuals (Hallman, 2013). In a recent Rutgers University study, approximately 40 percent of Americans have ever checked their homes for recalled food and 12 percent admitted they knew they had a recalled food in their home and ate the product anyway (Hallman, 2013). These behaviors could be attributed to the fact that regulatory agencies are not effectively communicating food safety information to all affected stakeholders (Elliott, 2011). Another factor may be that sources for information are continually shifting, which is causing communicators to rethink how to share information and news (Seitz, 2014).
An increasing number of stakeholders use social media as a primary news source and are looking to the Internet for food safety information (Holcomb, Mitchell & Page, 2013). Nearly 40 percent of the American population gets news updates from Facebook and Twitter (Holcomb, et al., 2013), and in the past two years, the number of people using social media daily to receive news updates has increased 10 percent (Downing, 2015). These statistics highlight the fact that consumers are already looking to these platforms for information updates. Meanwhile, the sharing capabilities of social media mean “friends and family” can rapidly spread the recall information, making the message personal to their network of contacts and helping combat aspects of recall fatigue and optimistic bias.
With consumers and stakeholders already using social media for news and information updates, regulatory agencies can benefit from refining how they communicate with stakeholders (Brown, 2015). For government in particular, social media provides a voice, humanizing the agency while fostering relationships during information-sharing (Grantham, 2015). When compared to traditional media channels, social media may allow regulatory agencies to quickly and directly reach a large network of stakeholders with the intended message. Timely disclosure is an effective way to contain the damage by discouraging consumers from using potentially hazardous products sooner, reducing incidents of illness (Whitworth, 2015).
Problem Statement
There is no published research in peer-reviewed food safety literature regarding social media practices by state food safety agencies related to effective communication of food recalls with the public.
Research Questions
1. Which social media tools are most commonly being used by state food agencies to communicate recalls, and how long have these tools been used?
2. Which factors are considered for communication, and who communicates the message for the agency?
3. How effective is social media as a recall communication tool, and how does the agency measure success?
4. Does the agency have policies in place regarding the use of social media or provide any related training opportunities for staff?
Methodology
This project used a mixed-method approach in the form of a quantitative analysis of state food agency respondents’ survey data and qualitative interviews with the agencies’ recall coordinators and/or public information officers who are communicating with stakeholders on behalf of the agency.
The survey was administered through SurveyMonkey, a web-based survey software program. The survey was submitted to 68 program managers at both agriculture and health state food safety agencies. The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) Directory of State and Local Officials was used to identify contacts. Respondents came from 28 agencies in 27 states (41 percent response rate), including 15 agriculture and 13 health departments (or equivalents).
Quantitative data was gathered through an 11-question survey for baseline information about agencies’ use of social media to communicate with stakeholders, both generally and specifically for food recalls. Qualitative data was gathered through open-ended questions on the survey, as well as during real-time phone and in-person interviews with eight survey respondents. Interview responses were evaluated to analyze how social media was used as a communication tool for recalls and agencies’ organizational culture surrounding its use.
Results
Results of the study came from respondents in 27 states, including five of the 10 most populated states in the country (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Based on the data and the opinion of the author, the sample can be generalized with respondents representing states with some of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., including California, New York, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.
The study found 23 out of 28 state agencies (82 percent) have active social media accounts; however, only 19 respondents were aware of the social media accounts. The author performed independent research, which confirmed four additional agencies with accounts on one or more social media platforms. Looking specifically at recall communications, 11 of the 23 respondents (48 percent) said they use social media to communicate recalls. Nearly all respondents indicated social media use began in 2010 or later.
Of the 11 respondents who said their agency is using social media to communicate recalls with stakeholders, whether they communicated was dependent upon various factors. These factors included recalled product origination and distribution (64 percent communicate in-state origination and/or distribution and 11 percent only communicate recalls that originated in-state), scope of incident (distribution size, pathogen of concern, number of illnesses, etc.), and public interest or media attention.
Sixteen respondents (57 percent) said that the agency communicates via social media solely through communications or marketing staff. Three respondents (11 percent) said recall coordinators are involved; and four respondents (14 percent) said communication is done through a combination of staff, including both food safety and communications staff. The other five respondents (18 percent) answered “N/A,” due to no social media use.
None of the respondents indicated measuring the success of social media as an effective tool for recall messaging. Of the agencies using social media for recalls, 30 percent were not measuring success in any capacity; the other 70 percent evaluated success using basic analytics such as Facebook “likes,” Twitter “follows,” clicks on a link, “hits” on a website, etc. Social media effectiveness was only evaluated as a whole to stakeholders and not specifically related to recalls, with little to no analysis on the impact.
Survey respondents were asked to rank social media as a communication tool on a scale of zero to five (zero meaning social media is “not effective at all” and five meaning it is “highly effective”). The average score was three.
One respondent in the study indicated that the agency has a finalized written recall policy or procedure that covers social media use; the other respondents did not, even if their agency is communicating recalls in this fashion. Two respondents confirmed that external social media training opportunities are available, but said this type of training is not required and generally only offered to communications staff.
For agencies not using social media in any capacity, the reasons included the use of other methods (such as traditional press releases and/or emails), leaving the responsibility up to the recalling firm or media, agency staff restricted from social media use at work, limited control over content and messaging, a desire to only promote positive comments, recall fatigue, or social media never being discussed as an option.
Conclusions
Based on the research, this project found that 23 state food safety agencies have established social media accounts to create a dialogue with stakeholders; however, four respondents were unaware of these communication outlets and only seven respondents were included in the agency’s development of social media communications, including recall communications. These findings, coupled with the absence of written procedures (one respondent) and training opportunities (two respondents), indicate a lack of intra-agency communication coordination and organizational culture surrounding social media use as an interactive communication tool.
Survey respondents’ feedback indicated social media can be an effective tool for communicating recalls. The study evaluated perceived effectiveness of social media as a recall communication tool, as gauged by the respondents. The average scaled ranking of three indicated that the majority of survey respondents feel social media is at least somewhat effective. During interviews, respondents said they believed that a lack of social media use related to recalls could be detrimental to the agency’s public health mission.
Based on the results of this study, the author was unable to assess whether social media is an effective communication tool because the majority of respondents had not conducted baseline assessments or evaluated the effectiveness of social media messaging for recalls. While survey respondents believe social media is an important and effective tool for recalls, they are unsure about how to evaluate effectiveness. With social media having been used for an average of four years or less, there is an opportunity for future research.
Survey and interview responses aligned with research findings that interacting with stakeholders through social media can instill confidence in the agency and address public concerns. Social media platforms provide an immediate outlet for communication in a format that consumers are already looking to for updates and new information. This communication is critical during recall events, and highlights state food safety agencies as credible, reputable sources for this type of information. Additional research regarding the pros and cons of social media implementation for regulatory food safety agencies on the federal, state, and local level is an important concept to analyze outside this research study.
Recommendations
Based on the results and conclusions of this research project, the following recommendations are issued for consideration:
1. State food safety agencies that are already using social media in some capacity should evaluate their ability to incorporate recalls into social media messaging.
2. A model policy, procedure, or guidance document could be created regarding social media implementation for regulatory agencies, which would support the alignment of policies and procedures to address the use of social media communications during recalls and other food events. (Various national standards, including the Manufactured, Retail, and Feed Program Standards, could provide an effective guidance framework for states to incorporate.)
3. State agencies’ food safety and communications staff should be jointly trained to share the responsibility of using new or existing social media platforms as a risk communication tool during recalls and other food events, which may support a stronger agency-wide message, create an interactive approach, and provide increased situational awareness for the communications staff as a recall or other food event progresses.
4. Social media training should incorporate best practices for evaluating the success of this type of food safety messaging. Baseline statistical information and analytics could further support successful social media use for recall dissemination. Such data could benefit all stakeholders and allow agencies to ensure relevant platforms are used and can be improved and revised as needed.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) for the opportunity to participate in Cohort IV, and, in particular, to Gerald Wojtala, IFPTI Executive Director. Included are all of the Fellowship instructors for their time, knowledge, shared experiences, and support, with special thanks to research project experts, Paul Dezendorf and Craig Kaml (Senior Vice President of Curriculum at IFPTI). My gratitude to my mentor, Charlene Bruce, whose encouragement and guidance at the start of this journey knew no bounds. I am appreciative of the Georgia Department of Agriculture for fully supporting this incredible leadership experience, with special thanks to Food Safety Division Director, Natalie Adan, and Associate Director, Craig Nielsen. I must also thank the FDA Southeast State Retail Program Director, Laurie Farmer, for encouraging me to apply for this program and supporting me throughout. Thanks to FDA CORE Deputy Director, Brenda Holman, and Publix Director of Corporate Quality Assurance, Michael Roberson, for providing support in the research. To my husband, Matt, and my parents—thank you for always believing in me, trusting that I can do more, and pushing me to succeed with endless faith in my abilities. To my Fellows (“Cohort IV, like never before!”)—I did not expect to come into this and meet eight other people who were so passionate, intelligent, and encouraging. Your support throughout this Fellowship has turned into a deep bond of friendship that I know will last long into our futures in food protection.
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