A text mining and grounded theory analysis of the dissemination of public opinion toward food safety incidents

Abstract

In recent years, frequent food safety incidents have resulted in significant losses to both lives and properties, triggering widespread societal concern. To delve into the mechanisms underlying the dissemination of online public opinion during food safety incidents, this research investigated a “Pork with Salted Vegetable” food safety incident in China. The study employed a comprehensive approach, integrating automated text—mining techniques with grounded theory. First, topic modeling was used to identify six dominant concerns (topics) expressed by the public during the relevant time frame, and the key words associated with each topic. Subsequently, grounded theory method was employed to model the dissemination of public opinion toward food safety incidents. The analysis emphasizes the significant roles of four key categories—“public opinion content,” “food safety incident,” “dissemination subject,” and “dissemination channel”—in the process of food safety incident dissemination. The findings offer valuable insights for food crisis governance.