CAEA launches a campaign to stop hoaxes about food and mass consumption
Topics Almería Regional Government of Andalusia
The Confederación Andaluza de Empresarios de Alimentación y Perfumería (CAEA) has presented the campaign “No compres bulos, no te los tragues” in Almería, with which it calls for information to be checked before it is shared. More than 30 % of the hoaxes circulating on the internet are about food.
More than 30 % of the fake news circulating on the internet is about food, according to the data handled by the Confederación Andaluza de Empresarios de Alimentación y Perfumería (CAEA). The organisation has presented the campaign “No compres bulos, no te los tragues” at the ASEMPAL headquarters in Almería, with which it aims to curb disinformation in the food and mass consumption sector.
Four guidelines to avoid swallowing a hoax
The campaign asks consumers not to share information if they are not sure it is true, to check it in different media, to look for reliable and official sources and to analyse it with judgement, avoiding biases. These are the four keys summarised by the CAEA board member Ignacio Berenguel during the presentation event.
Berenguel explained that any news item about food that includes the word supermarket or price multiplies digital traffic and virality, and with it advertising revenue. For this reason, he noted, the sector is especially sensitive for the algorithms of digital platforms and social networks, which tend to prioritise eye-catching headlines and sensationalist news that does not always reflect reality.
What trade has at stake
The secretary general of ASEMPAL, Encarna Gil, warned that erroneous, incomplete or out-of-context information can damage the image of companies and weaken consumer trust, “a trust that is very hard to build and that is fundamental for the proper functioning of any economic activity”. Gil stressed the weight of agri-food activity in the economy of Almería.
The territorial delegate for Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment and for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Development and Public Administration in Almería, Amós García Hueso, argued that hoaxes can affect purchasing decisions and the reputation of businesses. He advocated raising awareness among the population, especially the most vulnerable groups, so that they have tools with which to check eye-catching but unreliable information.
Who is behind it
The campaign is being developed by CAEA in collaboration with the Regional Ministry of Employment, Enterprise and Self-Employment of the Junta de Andalucía. The presentation event was also attended by the general director of CAEA, Álvaro González Zafra, and the secretary general of ASEMPAL, Encarna Gil.
CAEA, founded in 1989, represents the organised mass-consumption commercial distribution sector in Andalucía. It is made up of 23 business groups, with some 3,500 establishments in Andalucía and around 45,000 employees in the region, according to the organisation's data.
Where to consult the campaign
Information about the campaign can be consulted on the website campañadesinformacioncaea.es.
