Consumers perception of the Count On Me NC Program during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Count On Me NC was a key program for food safety and COVID-19 information delivery. • Consumers evaluated COVID-19 risk management at North Carolina food service businesses. • Consumers showed mixed understanding of COVID-19 transmission in food businesses. • Risk communication shaped consumers’ food service risk perceptions during COVID-19. Food service businesses in the state of North Carolina received support in the form of training, known as the Count On Me NC program, to safely reopen and manage the risk of COVID-19 infection at their establishments during the pandemic. This program was completed from May 2020 to December 2021 as per state government directives, establishments were required to undergo the lessons to resume operations. Businesses who completed the Count On Me NC modules received marketing material and a certificate of completion to be displayed. This study, completed in February 2023, assessed consumers’ confidence related to Count On Me NC program completion by food businesses; it also determined the awareness of the existence of this training program during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the total responses ( n= 60), 36 consumers were aware of the Count On Me NC program and heard about this program in social media. The survey was used to investigate if the program would have influenced consumer decision-making to dine out at businesses that completed the program. Thirty one out of the 60 consumers reported that these type of programs and certifications would have influenced their decision on whether to dine out or not at a specific food service business. COVID-19 risk factors that concerned consumers the most were also identified, as well as measures they expected to be implemented to keep guests safe. Consumers reported to be most concerned about “crowded places and unmasked people”. However, cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing was the practice consumers expected the most when dining out. The results of this study indicate that the Count On Me NC program effectively supported consumers’ confidence, based on the fact that all reported concerns were covered throughout the training modules that the North Carolina food service industry completed. These results also showed a mixed understanding of COVID-19 infection mechanisms by consumers, and how their expectations of businesses’ practices to keep consumers safe, did not match the science-based, recommended measures that would prevent infection based on risk.