Smigic, NadaOzilgen, SibelGómez-López, Vicente M.Osés, Sandra MaríaMiloradovic, ZoranaAleksic, BiljanaMiocinovic, JelenaSmole Možina, SonjaKunčič, AjdaGuiné, RaquelGoncalves, J. C.Trafialek, JoannaCzarniecka-Skubina, EwaGoel, GunjanBlazic, MarijanaHerljevic, DoraNikolić, AleksandraMujčinović, AlenDjekic, Ilija2023-06-202023-06-202023Smigic N, Ozilgen S, Gómez-López VM, Osés SM, Miloradovic Z, Aleksic B, Miocinovic J, Možina SS, Kunčič A, Guiné R, Gonçalves JC, Trafialek J, Czarniecka-Skubina E, Goel G, Blazic M, Herljevic D, Nikolić A, Mujčinović A, Djekic I (2023) Consumer attitudes and perceptions towards chilled ready-to-eat foods: a multi-national study. Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, 18(2), 133–146 (2023).http://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/7806Understanding consumers’ behavior and their handling of high-risk foods at home is essential for reducing the number of foodborne illnesses. This study shows the results of a cross-national analysis of consumers’ perception from nine countries, and the identification of customers’ clusters and its characteristics in order to understand customers’ behavior, and to build safe chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) foods prevention strategies. The cluster analysis resulted in two clusters: (1) “Precautious consumers” characterized by the orientation towards pre-packed RTE foods, with consumers mainly coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. Their attitudes and self-reported practices may be categorized as less risky in terms of food-borne illnesses connected with the consumption of RTE foods; (2) “Unconcerned consumers” preferred cutting and slicing RTE foods freshly at the point of purchase, usually sold at the delicatessen department in a supermarket or at open markets. Those consumers mostly came from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia and their attitudes and self-reported practices were riskier. These results allow a better understating of what characterizes consumers of RTE foods in different countries.engConsumers’ perceptionFood safetyChilled ready-to-eat foodsFood handlingjournal article10.1007/s00003-023-01424-1