This survey of over 3,000 U.S. adults addresses concerns regarding food safety issues. Over half of U.S. adults are concerned about food safety, but compared with 2010 there has been a decrease in the number of those who say they are concerned. Most concern is expressed regarding the safety of meat.

Executive Summary:

“The survey, repeated from 2010, asked respondents about the safety of the country’s food supply. Paradoxically, the poll found less concern than it did a year ago, even though the number of respondents who reported suffering from a serious food-borne illness nearly doubled.”

• “Among those polled, the majority (57.4%) said they are concerned about the safety of food — a decline from the 2010 level of 61.2%.”
• “10.7% of respondents said they are not at all concerned with the safety of their food, up from 6.6% in 2010.”
• “11.2% of those polled said they had become sick from something they ate in the last three months, up from 10.5% in 2010. Respondents 65 years or older became ill the least, with only 4.5% reporting a food-derived sickness in 2011.”
• “The severity of food illness increased from 2010. A year ago, 12.1% of respondents said they became seriously ill due to something they ate. That number climbed to 21.5% in 2011.”
• “Meat generated more concern than any other type of food: 44.1% of those polled said they had concerns over the safety of meat, followed by fresh produce (30.2%), seafood (20.1%), and dairy products (5.5%).”
• “Socio-economics appear to play a role in food safety concerns: 53% of respondents who earn less than $25,000 per year were very concerned with the safety of their food. This far outweighs the level of concern among respondents with higher income.”