Two recent consumer surveys reveal that confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply is at an all-time low.
A Gallup poll found that 28 percent of respondents were not very confident, and 14 percent were “not at all confident.”
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) survey asked about microbial concerns, such as the presence of E. coli and heavy metals in food, as their primary concerns. Specifically, nearly one in three Americans are “very concerned” about E. coli in ground beef, 29 percent are very concerned about lead, cadmium and arsenic in baby food, and 27 percent are very concerned about mercury in seafood.
Gallup Poll Details
The data on food safety questions was collected as part of Gallup’s annual survey of consumer habits, conducted July 1-21. Gallup’s poll showed the lowest trend since 1999.
About 57% of U.S. adults surveyed said they have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of confidence in the government’s ability to keep the food supply safe, down 11 points from Gallup’s 2019 poll.
From 1999 to 2006, roughly 80 percent of Americans trusted the government to ensure food safety. After the 2007 Salmonella outbreak, that percentage dropped to 70 percent. Americans’ trust remained at that level in 2008 and 2019, but it has declined this year.
The biggest drop in trust was seen among parents with young children, with 49% saying they had confidence in the government’s guarantee of food supplies, down from 67% in 2019. Among parents without young children, 60% remained trusting, down from 68% in 2019.
One survey asked about food safety at grocery stores: Americans are less confident than they were five years ago that the food sold at most grocery stores is safe to eat: About 72% of respondents said it’s very or somewhat safe, down from 81% in 2019.
Trust levels vary across income and education brackets, with the wealthier and more educated having more confidence in food safety: Adults with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more (78%) and those with college degrees (75%) are the two subgroups most confident in the safety of food at grocery stores.
Younger people and those with less education are among the least confident in the safety of food in grocery stores: 62% of adults ages 18-34 are optimistic that food in grocery stores is safe, along with 69% of those with a high school education or less. Both figures are lower than Gallup’s last poll of these subgroups in 2019, when 74% of 18-34 year olds and 75% of those with a high school education or less said they were confident that food in stores is safe.
Food recalls appear to influence people’s attitudes about food safety: The Food and Drug Administration announced 19 product recalls in June 2024, just prior to the Gallup survey. Thirty-seven percent of adults report having thrown away or returned food in response to a product recall or food safety advisory in the past year.
Just over half (53%) have avoided buying certain brands or types of food because of recalls or advisories, and 26% have worried they may have eaten contaminated food.
“When Gallup last asked about food safety in 2019, the U.S. government issued more than 330 food recalls that year, including the FDA’s announcement that romaine lettuce was linked to an E. coli outbreak. In the first six months of 2024, 578 food products were recalled,” Gallup said.
IFIC poll details
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned an online survey of U.S. consumers to measure their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding food ingredient safety. Data was collected from June 6-10, 2024 through an online survey of 1,000 Americans ages 18-80+, and responses were weighted to ensure proportional results.
The survey revealed that consumer confidence has hit an all-time low.Compared to the Gallup poll, the IFIC survey placed more emphasis on raw materials.
When presented with a list of 11 ingredients, consumers cited dyes/colorings as the most avoided, with 35 percent actively choosing to avoid them, followed by sugar substitutes at 34 percent, MSG at 29 percent, bioengineered/GMO ingredients at 27 percent, and preservatives at 25 percent.
When presented with a list of 13 foods and beverages, consumers cited ultra-processed foods as the food they would most like to avoid, accounting for 41 percent. Plant-based meat alternatives came in second with 37 percent, followed by processed meats at 29 percent and plant-based dairy alternatives at 27 percent.
“Interestingly, it’s not always a ‘glass half empty’ mentality. We found that Americans consider the health benefits of what they eat and drink (30%) more often than the health risks (8%),” explained Tony Flood, IFIC’s senior director of food ingredient communications.
“While I wasn’t surprised to see that certain ingredients and foods have less-than-favorable reputations, I was surprised to see that one in four Americans never thinks about the health risks or health benefits of what they eat or drink,” Flood said.
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