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Emerging food safety risks on fresh produce, due to climate change and globalization, represent a new challenge within risk communication. The goal of this study is to investigate how a risk message should be designed to increase message credibility. Defined as ‘the perception of the message being credible, clear, understandable and likely’, message credibility is an essential variable in risk communication as it is an important prerequisite to message acceptance (Mackenzie & Lutz, 1989; Renn et al., 1991). According to the Extended Parallel Processing Model (Witte 1992), a risk message should evoke a perceived threat and perceived efficacy in order to achieve message acceptance, leading to increased awareness about the risks. Research showed that vividly presented information can increase the perceived threat (e.g., Cauberghe et al., 2009). Furthermore, research indicated that the spatial distance of where the risk could occur, can influence people’s reactions to the message (Liberman & Trope, 2008). Moreover, when communicating risks related to food, both the benefits and the risks of eating fresh produce can be presented (2-sided), or only the risks (1-sided). Both strategies can impact message acceptance (Eisend, 2006). Using a 2 (Picture of grapes and bacteria vs. Picture of grapes) X 2 (Occurrence in Flanders vs. Occurrence worldwide) X 2 (1-sided vs. 2-sided) between subjects factorial design, this study investigated the impact of these manipulations on message credibility. A leaflet was designed for every condition and 390 respondents (Mage=38.54 years (SD=14.47), 46,1% male) were randomly shown one of the eight leaflets, followed by a paper-and-pencil survey. Every leaflet contained the same information about recommended measures that consumers may take and measures that the government is taking. A significant third-order interaction effect was found using the manipulations as independent variables on message credibility (F(1,372)=9.501,p=.002). Simple effects showed that when the risk could occur in Flanders and the risk is very vividly presented, the message credibility is significantly higher when the information is presented 1-sided (M=6.09, SD=.76) instead of 2-sided (M=5.45, SD=1.50). However, when the risk could occur worldwide and the risk is very vividly presented, then the message credibility is significantly higher when 2-sided information is given (M=5.92, SD=.76), than when 1-sided information is presented (M=5.50, SD=1.17). These results have important managerial implications for international risk communication, which will be discussed together with more results.

Introduction: Fresh produce is an important part of a healthy diet. However, due to recent disease outbreaks and rapid alerts attributed to fresh produce and derived food products, concerns emerged with regard to food safety. The EU Veg-i-Trade project conducts research on emerging food safety risks related to fresh vegetables and fruit due to climate change and global sourcing. Some of these risks cannot be prevented by the consumers (e.g., pesticide residues, mycotoxins,…) which stresses the importance of governmental trust. Purpose: Risk communication is necessary to prevent people starting a scare when a food-borne outbreak might occur. The Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) of Witte (1992) is the most appropriate threat/risk related model to explain consumers’ reactions to health risk messages. Threat appeals trigger a process by which individuals appraise two perceptions: the perceived threat (susceptibility and severity) and the perceived (self- or response) efficacy of the hazard which may result in either message acceptance or avoidance. Method: In November 2010 a survey was conducted among 456 participates in Belgium. This survey measured general risk perception, problem awareness, evoked emotions, behavioral intentions and socio-demos. Results: Beside descriptive results related to socio-demographic differences, a significant interaction effect between susceptibility and governmental trust on the evoked level of fear (F (1, 452) = 3.854, p=0.05) appeared. Only when the governmental trust is low, susceptibility increases the level of fear. When trust is high, there appeared no effect of susceptibility of the threat. Significance: This study stresses the importance of governmental trust. In addition, these results show that evoked fear has a significant positive effect on risk perception. This risk perception has subsequently an impact on the intention to rinse fresh produce better (r= .388, p

Climate change and globalization increase the possible occurrence of new food safety risks on fresh produce. Hence, food risk communication needs to be carried out worldwide. This research investigates how consumers in different European countries respond to communication about these new food safety risks. Cross cultural differences between Serbia, Spain, Norway and Belgium, with regard to affective reactions, risk perception, trust, and behavioral intentions are analyzed. Both the emotional and cognitive reactions differ significantly between the countries, as well as the interplay between them, and the behavioral intentions. Hence, the communication strategy needs to be adapted on a national level.

The pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) involves the production of diverse lipid mediators, namely eicosanoid, lysophospholipids, and platelet-activating factor, in which phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) is the key enzyme. Thus, it has been postulated that control of lipid mediators production by inhibition of PLA(2) would be useful for the treatment of IBD. This hypothesis has been tested in the present study by examining the therapeutic effect of a novel natural probitic Bacillus subtilis PB6 (ATCC- PTA 6737). B. subtilis PB6 is found to secrete surfactins (cyclin lipopeptides) which have anti-bacterial potential. These surfactins inhibit PLA(2), a rate-limiting enzyme involved in the arachidonic acid associated inflammatory pathway and could downregulate the inflammatory response by regulating the eicosanoid and cytokine pathways. With this concept, an experimental animal trial has been conducted in a rat model of 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. The oral administration of PB6 suppresses the colitis as measured by mortality rate, changes in the weight gain, colon morphology and the levels of plasma cytokines. The animals treated orally with PB6 at 1.5 x 10(8) CFU/kg thrice daily from day 4 to 10 significantly improve gross pathology of the colon and regain the colon weight to normal (p