Communicating Food Safety: Ethical Issues in Risk Communication

Abstract

Ethics is a philosophical and a subjective issue since human beings have their own ethical values, morality, and beliefs. Ethical issues have an important role in risk communication which affects the food choices of consumers. The uncertainty, role of transparency, social amplification, stigma, and trust are the concepts which are considered in ethics in risk communication. Risk communication is mainly provided by labeling and media, so it is important to be aware of ethical issues related to these two tools. Risk communicators face some ethical issues related to social, organizational, and personal attitudes. In this chapter, ethical issues commonly faced by those who are communicating risk will be discussed. This will give us an opportunity to understand ethical issues and potential outcomes of possible choices.