USFDA will fund a research study to evaluate market disruptions after major food recall-events in order to better understand the complex behavior of consumers, grocery retailers, and producers following major recall events. The study will be conducted under a FDA grant to the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Center for Risk Communication Research at the University of Maryland.

It is hoped that the results of this study will further our understanding of post-recall industry and consumer behavior and build upon the excellent work done by USDA Economic Research Service in the study of post Spinach Recall (2006) market behavior described in the March 2010 issue of Amber Waves. (Previously posted on this Weblog) In that study the market showed considerable resilience and recovered to pre-recall levels after two years.

We post the Federal Register announcement of the new FDA study and also the March 2010 USDA ERS Report.