The management and communication of a food risk controversy: the Swedish campylobacter case

Between September 2016 and May 2017 levels of campylobacter infections in Swedish conventionally reared broilers doubled to more than 20%. The increased levels of infected broilers in turn led to a massive increase in Swedes getting sick from campylobacter food poisoning. In April 2017, for example, the Swedish medical community reported that there were five times higher levels of Swedish campylobacter poisonings compared to a normal year and a vast majority of these were from domestic rather than foreign sources. This paper evaluates how the risks of campylobacter food poisoning were communicated by a number of different actors involved with the scare and is based on a content analysis of 10 of Sweden's main newspapers in the period June 2016-September 2017 and 12 elite interviews with some of these individuals. In conclusion, I suggest a number a policy recommendations that the Swedish Agricultural Board and the Swedish Food Agency may want to implement going forward.