U.S. Consumer Attitudes On Food Safety

According to the results of this survey, lower-income consumers are more likely to make changes to their food purchases as a result of recent food scares. The survey also showed that consumers expect companies to provide information about recalls quickly, including a description of how the problem was fixed.

Major Findings:

• 71% of U.S. consumers believe that the food supply is safe, despite food contamination issues.
• 93% of consumers have seen or heard something recently about food contamination and the recall of related food products.
• 68% believe that the number of food contamination is increasing over the past several years.
• Due to recent food contamination issues, 65% have made short-term changes in the foods they buy, but will not change behavior over the long term.
• 23% will seek longer term measures due to incidents of food contamination.
• 29% show higher levels of concern about the foods they eat.
• Consumers hold regulators responsible for food safety, specifically food safety regulators (49%), food processors (21%), and food manufacturers (21%)