Educational interventions to address misconceptions about antibiotic residues in milk can alter consumer perceptions and may affect purchasing habits

Abstract

The industrialization of the agri-food industry and resultant decrease in the number of people employed on farms has contributed to a knowledge gap among consumers about food production processes. A commonly reported concern of dairy consumers is the use of antibiotics in dairy animals, even though these drugs are an important tool for promoting animal health and welfare and food safety. The extent to which consumers are aware of antibiotic residue avoidance practices in dairy production is unknown, and it is unclear whether acquisition of such knowledge could affect purchasing behavior and perceptions of dairy farming. The objectives of this study were to assess consumers' perceptions about the quality and production of dairy products in the United States and determine whether educational materials on processes that limit the occurrence of antibiotic residues in milk can change consumers' perceptions of dairy products and purchasing behaviors. We surveyed 804 consumers and assigned them to 1 of 3 interventions: (1) a control arm (reading the content of the Dairy page of the USDA's myplate.gov website); (2) an educational brochure on the processes that prevent antibiotic residues in milk; and (3) a video on the same processes. We found that a majority (86.1%) of participants believe that the quality of dairy products in the United States is high, although many had concerns about the treatment of dairy animals and chemicals (pesticides, antibiotics, hormones) in dairy products. Compared with the control intervention, the brochure was associated with a significant decrease in the level of concern consumers had about chemicals in their milk [-0.20 points on a Likert scale, 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.32 to -0.08] and a significantly increased comfort in purchasing conventional dairy products (odds ratio 2.43, 95% CI, 1.62 to 3.66). The video was associated with even stronger effects: a 0.29-unit decrease in the level of concern about chemicals in milk (95% CI, -0.42 to -0.016) and 2.94 times greater odds of purchasing conventional dairy products (95%, CI 1.92 to 4.49). Although consumer food decision making is complex and driven by multiple factors, it appears that education about the processes that promote food safety can reassure consumers about their concerns and potentially affect purchasing habits.

Keywords: antibiotic; consumer; dairy product; education; organic.