(62%, down from 70% in 2022). This confidence dropped most among Millennials and Hispanic consumers. Among multiple food safety issues, consumers are most concerned about carcinogens in food, foodborne illness from bacteria, and pesticides. Of those concerned with foodborne illness, nearly all are familiar with “best by” dates, but only 2 in 3 (67%) are familiar with what to do when their food has been recalled and far fewer (39%) are familiar with the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline."
As pointed out in an earlier post, there are no indications that the food supply is less safe, in fact, probably more safe than it had been. This is not to say we are void of issues. There are food related outbreaks. There are also some unknowns regarding micro-levels of chemicals in food where more research is needed. However, is this something that should be causing us stress? Hopefully not.
If you are concerned about something, avoid it. Take heart that over 300 million people in the US eat food everyday (hopefully) and the number of issues is very small. And the issues are normally recalls, not outbreaks. Our biggest issues are related to the fact we need to balance what we eat, control how much we eat, and follow proper food handling and preparation procedures.
So to what degree does the onslaught of information fed to us each day via social and mainstream media impact this stress. Certainly in an election year, we are inundated with information, some of it exaggerated or over emphasized perhaps. And now that one of the parties has grabbed the food safety mantra, can we expect to see even more of this type of information?
https://news.gallup.com/poll/650024/trust-government-assurance-food-safety-hits-record-low.aspx
Trust in Government Assurance of Food Safety Hits Record Low
Americans' faith in the safety of food at grocery stores also declines
by Rachael Yi
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans’ confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply has reached a record low in Gallup’s trend dating back to 1999. The 57% of U.S. adults who now say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the government to keep the food supply safe is down 11 percentage points from Gallup’s prior reading in 2019.
Roughly eight in 10 Americans expressed faith in the government to ensure food safety in Gallup measures from 1999 to 2006. After a massive salmonella outbreak in 2007, about seven in 10 remained confident. Americans’ confidence stayed near that level in 2008 and 2019 before dropping this year.
These data were collected as part of Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits poll, conducted July 1-21.
While 57% express at least a fair amount of confidence in the government to keep food safe, 28% of Americans do not have much confidence and 14% have “none at all.”
Among partisans, Republicans’ confidence has dropped the most since 2019, which could largely reflect the party of the incumbent president then (Republican Donald Trump) versus now (Democrat Joe Biden). Fifty percent of Republicans currently say they have a great deal or fair amount of faith in the government’s assurance of food safety, a 27-point decrease from 2019.
Confidence is also down among political independents by 11 points, from 63% in 2019 to 52% today.
Conversely, more Democrats now (74%) than in 2019 (65%) express confidence in the federal government to ensure food safety.
The 50% of Republicans and 52% of independents expressing confidence in the government on food safety are the lowest Gallup has measured for any party group to date.
Aside from political parties, declining confidence is consistent across nearly all demographic subgroups.
One of the largest drops in confidence is seen among parents of young children -- 49% express confidence in the government’s assurance of the food supply, down from 67% in 2019. Sixty percent of those who are not parents of young children maintain confidence, compared with 68% in 2019. While the two groups held similar views five years ago, parents are now much less confident than non-parents in food safety.
Confidence that grocery store foods are safe to eat has fallen among nearly all subgroups. As with the question about trust in the government’s ability to ensure food safety, confidence in grocery stores is down more among Republicans (from 87% in 2019 to 73% today) than it is among independents (from 76% to 66%) and Democrats (from 82% to 80%). Parents and non-parents of minor children show similar declines, but parents (65%) continue to be less confident than non-parents (74%).
U.S. adults with an annual household income of $100,000 or more (78%) and college graduates (75%) are two of the subgroups most likely to have confidence in the safety of food at grocery stores, perhaps because they may have greater access to a broader range of stores, brands and health-focused options.
Younger Americans and those with less education are among the least confident in grocery store food safety. Among adults aged 18 to 34, 62% say they are confident that grocery store foods are safe, as do 69% of those with a high school education or less. Both figures are lower than Gallup’s last readings for these subgroups in 2019, when 74% of Americans aged 18 to 34 and 75% of those with a high school education or less expressed confidence in the safety of food at stores.
Responses to Food Recalls
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued 19 recalls for food products in June 2024, just prior to Gallup’s survey. The federal government primarily advises consumers to throw out potentially contaminated food or return it to the store after a recall. Thirty-seven percent of Americans report having thrown out or returned food in the past year in response to a product recall or food safety advisory.
Slightly over half of Americans (53%) have avoided buying certain brands or types of food because of a recall or advisory, and 26% say they have worried that they may have eaten contaminated food.
Trust in Food Safety at Grocery Stores Also Declines
A separate survey question asked about the safety of food at grocery stores. Americans are less confident now than they were five years ago that the food available at most grocery stores is safe to eat. Roughly seven in 10 Americans (72%) say they are very or somewhat confident, down from 81% in 2019.
There are no significant changes in the percentages saying they have worried about eating contaminated food or have thrown out food compared with 2007 and 2008, the last time these questions were asked. However, fewer today (53%) than in 2007 (62%) and 2008 (60%) say they have avoided buying certain brands or types of food because of a recall or advisory.
Bottom Line
When Gallup last asked about food safety in 2019, the U.S. government had issued more than 330 food recalls that year, including the viral FDA announcement that romaine lettuce was linked to an outbreak of E. coli infections. In the first six months of 2024, 578 food products were recalled.
While safety advisories and food recalls aren’t new, there is declining faith in the federal government to ensure food safety. The drop in confidence could reflect Americans’ recognition of the difficulty in responding to the large number of health threats in the food supply, as well as declining trust in the government in general. Americans’ confidence in the food available at most grocery stores has also deteriorated, which speaks to the challenges that the industry -- and the government -- will face in both keeping food safe and reassuring Americans that it is safe.
To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on X @Gallup.
https://foodinsight.org/2024-food-health-survey/
2024 IFIC Food & Health Survey
By Food Insight
June 20, 2024
The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Releases Annual Food & Health Survey Revealing Rising Consumer Stress, Lagging Consumer Confidence In The U.S. Food Supply
(Washington, D.C.) —The International Food Information Council (IFIC) released its 2024 Food & Health Survey today, revealing the perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors that influence Americans’ food and beverage decisions. This iteration marks the 19th consecutive year that IFIC conducted its signature consumer survey.
The 2024 IFIC Food & Health Survey covers a wide range of topics from farm to fork, including food production, food safety, eating patterns and diets, specific food or beverage ingredients as well as consumers’ relationship with food, purchase drivers, and trust in information sources. Newer to the survey this year are questions regarding medication and lifestyle choices, ultraprocessed foods, and artificial intelligence.
“The 2024 IFIC Food & Health Survey is a comprehensive snapshot of the complex factors that shape Americans’ food and beverage decisions,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, IFIC President and CEO. “We tripled our sample size this year, allowing for greater exploration of Americans’ food beliefs and behaviors than in previous IFIC surveys. This approach not only gives us deeper insights, but also demonstrates our commitment to evolving our research platform to align with America’s population trends.”
Rising Consumer Stress & Food Cost Likely Impact Food Decisions
It is clear to consumers that the cost of everything has risen in recent years — including what we eat and drink. In fact, 9 in 10 (90%) say they have noticed an increase in the price of food and beverages. This recognition is up significantly from 83% in 2022.
“Examining the awareness of increased cost by generation reveals a fascinating finding: Each generation has noticed the increased costs significantly more than the generation(s) younger than them,” stated Kris Sollid, RD, Senior Director, Research & Consumer Insights at IFIC. “In other words, more Baby Boomers have noticed the rising costs compared with every other generation. More Gen X have noticed the rising costs compared with millennials, and so on.”
The Survey also spotlighted how stress impacts food and beverage choices. Nearly 2 in 3 consumers reported feeling very or somewhat stressed, which is an increase from past years. When asked about the main factors for this stress, “managing personal finances” was the top answer at 59%, followed by “the economy in general” at 51%.
The connection between finances and stress is clear, and the survey dug deeper into the connection between food and emotional well-being. Interestingly, 3 in 4 consumers believe their food and beverage choices impact their mental/emotional well-being, and 2 in 3 believe the reverse: that their well-being impacts their food and beverage choices.
Americans Define Healthy Food As Fresh, Protein-Packed & Low In Sugar
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is preparing to release its updated definition for a “healthy” packaged food. American consumers, however, judge the healthfulness of a food using their own criteria.
For the third straight year in the IFIC Food & Health Survey, “fresh” (39%) is the most common criteria used by consumers to define a “healthy” food followed by “good source of protein” (37%) and “low in sugar” (35%). While the inclusion of “fresh” and “low in sugar” in definitions for “healthy” have remained consistent across the last three years, “good source of protein” is gaining steam, steadily climbing over the past three years.
One In Three Americans Are Familiar With Processed Foods Terminology
There is no consensus on the definition of “ultraprocessed foods” among food and nutrition scientists. With headlines touting potential harmful health effects, 1 in 3 Americans are now familiar with the term “ultraprocessed foods,” yet there are differences by age. For example, younger generations are more likely than older generations to be familiar with the term “ultraprocessed foods” (39% for Gen Z and 42% for Millennials compared with 30% for Gen X and 21% for Boomers). And the youngest generations (Gen Z and Millennials) are twice as likely as Baby Boomers to be familiar.
Taste Tops The List When Its Comes To Purchase Influence Followed By Price & Health
American consumers continue to rank taste (85%) as the most impactful element in their food and beverage purchase decisions. Price remains the second most impactful (76%), followed by healthfulness (62%), convenience (57%), and environmental sustainability (31%).
The impact of convenience, however, is down from last year (61% in 2023 to 57% in 2024). The impact of environmental sustainability on food and beverage purchase decisions has also declined in each of the past two surveys (39% in 2022, 34% in 2023, and 31% in 2024).
Overall Confidence In The Safety Of The U.S. Food Supply Is Significantly Down
Confidence in the safety of the food supply is down from last year (62%, down from 70% in 2022). This confidence dropped most among Millennials and Hispanic consumers.
Among multiple food safety issues, consumers are most concerned about carcinogens in food, foodborne illness from bacteria, and pesticides. Of those concerned with foodborne illness, nearly all are familiar with “best by” dates, but only 2 in 3 (67%) are familiar with what to do when their food has been recalled.
Baby Boomers Are The Healthiest Skeptics Regarding Social Media Information
In today’s increasingly digital world, the Survey captured that exposure to food and nutrition content on social media is increasing. “We found that over half of consumers (54%) report seeing food and nutrition content on their news feeds, up from 42% last year,” Sollid said. “What’s interesting is that while consumers are seeing more of this content, fewer Americans have a lot of trust in it.”
And when it comes to trust, Baby Boomers are the most skeptical. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Baby Boomers say they trust food or nutrition content they come across on social media, which is significantly lower than the trust every other generation reports (71% for Gen X, 68% for Millennials, and 76% for Gen Z).
“The conversation around trust in food and nutrition information is so important to analyze and understand,” Reinhardt Kapsak said. “Ensuring consumers have access to compelling, science-based information about food to inform smart, healthy decisions for themselves and their families rather than misinformation is a cause worth championing, and that is what IFIC is all about.”
To view the full 2024 IFIC Food & Health survey, click here.
Methodology
IFIC completes its annual Food and Health Survey in partnership with Greenwald Research, a leading independent custom research firm. IFIC commissioned Greenwald Research to conduct the 2024 IFIC Food and Health Survey using Dynata’s consumer panel, via an online survey of 3,000 Americans ages 18 to 80 years between March 8 and March 24, 2024. The results were weighted to ensure that they are reflective of the American population ages 18 to 80 years, as seen in the 2023 Current Population Survey. Specifically, results were weighted by age, education, gender, race/ethnicity, and region.
No comments:
Post a Comment