Down the Rabbit Hole: How Digital Media Shapes Public Perceptions of Food Science and Technology Research (And How We Can Safeguard Science Integrity and Credibility)

Abstract

Professionals and practitioners in food science and technology navigate a minefield of challenges stemming from the convergence of science, scientific inquiry and research, and online mass and social media. Misinterpretations and politicized debates occur frequently in online media, where food- and diet-related topics have an avid following, and conflicting information or incomplete coverage may occasionally undermine public trust in the integrity of food science research from both academia and industry. Leveraging a broad landscape analysis of scientific and popular lay journal reports, we catalog a series of food science and technology topics that have been popularized in online forums, sometimes at the expense of scientific accuracy. Finally, we detail some guidelines and tools that may assist food science and technology academics, industry professionals, science publishers, and online journalists in rigorously safeguarding the integrity and credibility of research reports that reach the lay consumer through social and online media channels.