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19 pages, 959 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pesticides and Eroding Food Citizenship: Understanding Individuals’ Perspectives on the Greek Food System

by Konstantinos B. Simoglou, Paraskevi El. Skarpa and Emmanouil Roditakis

Agrochemicals 2025, 4(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals4010003 - 4 Mar 2025

Viewed by 1181

This study explores consumer perceptions of the Greek food system, focusing on safety concerns related to pesticide residues. Utilizing a qualitative research design, thematic analysis was conducted on data collected from 1024 participants through an online survey platform between May and November 2024. Participants, representing diverse demographics across Greece, provided insights into their experiences and concerns regarding food safety. The analysis revealed significant themes, including a crisis of confidence in governance, demands for transparency, and skepticism towards food system actors. Participants expressed disillusionment with the state’s role in ensuring food safety and highlighted the need for a governance framework that aligns with community values. The findings underscore the importance of empowering consumers with accurate information to foster informed decision-making and rebuild trust in the food system. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the necessity for a transformative approach to food governance that incorporates diverse voices and perspectives, aiming to create a more equitable and sustainable food system in Greece. These insights contribute to the broader discourse on food citizenship and the collective responsibilities of all stakeholders in ensuring food safety and integrity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Pesticides)

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19 pages, 612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pesticide Safety in Greek Plant Foods from the Consumer Perspective: The Importance of Reliable Information

by Konstantinos B. Simoglou, Paraskevi El. Skarpa and Emmanouil Roditakis

Agrochemicals 2023, 2(4), 484-502; https://doi.org/10.3390/agrochemicals2040027 - 30 Sep 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3663

Abstract

Greek consumers perceive an increased risk of pesticide residues in food. This study examined Greek consumers’ perceptions of the safety of Greek plant-based food compared to those from other EU countries. One-half of Greek consumers believe Greek food is as safe as other European foods, while the other half disagree. According to a principal component analysis and a bivariate logistic regression, several factors, such as the perceived safety of plant foods, education, age, gender, traceability, perceived benefits and risks of pesticides, actual pesticide use, and authoritative information sources, influence this attitude. Authoritative knowledge in this field can reduce risk perception and improve Greek consumers’ attitudes towards food safety. The latent class analysis identified two categories of consumers. The first class receives limited information about pesticides, leading to lower perceived pesticide benefits, higher mistrust of traceability, and concerns about pesticide residues. In contrast, the second class actively searches for information from credible sources, endorses the Greek plant foods safety, acknowledges the pesticide benefits, and trusts traceability. Official information is associated with reduced risk perception. Regulators should consider the impact of sociodemographic and other intrinsic characteristics on individuals’ risk perceptions and prioritise transparency in risk communication strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Pesticides)

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18 pages, 697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Russo-Ukrainian War and Trust or Mistrust in Information: A Snapshot of Individuals’ Perceptions in Greece

by Paraskevi El. Skarpa, Konstantinos B. Simoglou and Emmanouel Garoufallou

Journal. Media 2023, 4(3), 835-852; https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia4030052 - 27 Jul 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5917

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the Greek public’s perceptions of the reliability of information received about the Russo-Ukrainian war in the spring of 2022. The study was conducted through an online questionnaire survey consisting of closed-ended statements on a five-point Likert scale. Principal components analysis was performed on the collected data. The retained principal components (PCs) were subjected to non-hierarchical k-means cluster analysis to group respondents into clusters based on the similarity of perceived outcomes. A total of 840 responses were obtained. Twenty-eight original variables from the questionnaire were summarised into five PCs, explaining 63.0% of the total variance. The majority of respondents felt that the information they had received about the Russo-Ukrainian war was unreliable. Older, educated, professional people with exposure to fake news were sceptical about the reliability of information related to the war. Young adults who were active on social networks and had no detailed knowledge of the events considered information about the war to be reliable. The study found that the greater an individual’s ability to spot fake news, the lower their trust in social media and their information habits on social networks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of the Mass Media and Digital Media in Contemporary Armed Conflict)

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