Abstract:

This study examined the level of perceived fear of consumption of contaminated beans among rural populace in Nigeria. Rational choice theory was adopted for the framework. Research design for the study was exploratory and survey in nature. Data was collected using well-structured questionnaire. The findings show that 61.1% of the respondents have observed a lot of post-harvest losses of beans in their area hence the common use of chemicals to preserve it. Also, 65.4% were apprehensive of consuming chemically preserved beans due to fear of food poising. This study recommends the traditional storage facility which has low or no health risk. Farmers and merchants should be enlightened through the mass media on safer ways of preserving their grains.