ABSTRACT
The concept of risk can be traced back to the middle of the seventeenth century. Risk can also be described from a strictly mathematical point of view as a combination of the probability of an event occurring and the magnitude of the consequences should it happen, or in simpler terms, the likelihood of an incident happening and the severity of its effects. This book explores the contradiction between experts research and evidence-based advice and consumer perception of safe food. The current interest in the risk discourse and the perception of risk in our contemporary society has attracted researchers from diverse disciplines. The sociological risk discourse is a useful strategy to better understand, analyse and organise social processes and experiences in an attempt to explain our dietary and lifestyle choices. In contemporary society, the word risk is given a negative connotation denoting danger. Risks have become political and influenced by humans, rather than being a metaphysical phenomenon.
