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STUBBORN TASTE BUDS

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The Washington Post

Published: February 8, 2009

Paula O'Rourke always keeps peanut butter crackers in the car for her children to snack on. The Bethesda, Md., mother of three had just bought a new supply when she heard the product had been recalled because of a risk of salmonella poisoning. She felt obligated to throw away the $2 package, but, she says, "I had this moment where I thought, 'Come on. The chance of these crackers actually being trouble is so slim.'"

There has been a steady drumbeat of high-profile food safety scares in the past several years: spinach, ground beef, tomatoes (later exonerated), jalapeno peppers and now products traced to a Georgia peanut processor. But like O'Rourke, many Americans are not rushing to change the way they eat.

A 2007 Gallup poll reported that 62 percent of Americans said they avoided buying certain brands or types of food due to a food safety warning or recall in the previous 12 months. But only 28 percent of Americans reported paying "a lot" of attention to food safety and nutritional issues, about the same number as in 1989.

"People might make the connection for the short term," said Harry Balzer, vice president of NPD Group, a market research firm. "But your taste buds are very, very difficult to change."

There seems to be little connection between rising concerns and consumer eating habits. Regular E. coli scares boosted the percentage of adults who were very worried about the germ from 21 percent in 2002 to 32 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, the percentage planning to eat fewer hamburgers has hovered steadily around 30 percent. The same is true with regard to fears about mercury in seafood. The number of adults aware of and concerned about the problem jumped from 58 percent in 2003 to 69 percent in 2008, while the percentage who say they plan to eat less fish or avoid seafood entirely has remained between 20 percent and 22 percent.

Psychologists posit several theories about why the scares have so little impact on consumer behavior. One is that learned helplessness is in play. The modern distribution system is so complex and confusing that consumers might believe that taking action would be nearly impossible, says Lynn Kahle, a consumer psychologist at the University of Oregon.

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