Trusted but underused: The credibility–accessibility gap in food-safety risk communication among urban consumers in Ivory Coast

Food-safety risk communication depends not only on whether consumers trust expert sources, but also on whether credible information reaches everyday communication environments. This study examines three linked gaps in food-safety risk communication among 402 urban, digitally reachable consumers in Ivory Coast using an online panel survey. Respondents rated the personal relevance of food risks, their perceived information sufficiency, their trust in eleven food-safety information sources, the frequency with which they consulted each source, their self-reported information exposure for eight food-safety hazards, and their concern about those hazards. Results reveal three connected gaps. First, a relevance–sufficiency gap was observed: respondents considered food-safety risks highly relevant, but felt less sufficiently informed about them. Second, a credibility–accessibility gap was identified: doctors were the most trusted source but ranked only sixth in consultation frequency, while scientists ranked third in trust but tenth in consultation frequency. Third, a concern–information exposure gap was found across all hazards: concern exceeded self-reported information exposure, especially for microplastics, contamination during transport or poor storage, genetically modified foods, and pesticides. These findings suggest that food-safety communication in Ivory Coast is constrained less by lack of concern than by the limited conversion of credibility into reach. Preventive food-control strategies should therefore convert expert credibility into communication reach by embedding trusted actors in the interpersonal, media, market, retail, and community channels through which consumers already navigate food risk.