April 29, 2010, U.S. – A new report suggests that consumers are still aware of food safety issues, but are now more interested in the nutritional facts about what they eat.
People take steps to reduce their risks by reading country of origin and nutritional labels and relying on public information about foodborne illness.
According to Deloitte's 2010 Consumer Food Safety Survey, while 90 per cent of consumers believe food-related recalls are on the rise, or on par, compared with findings from Deloitte's 2008 Consumer Food Safety Survey, fewer people seem to be anxious about them. Further, the results show 65 per cent of consumers surveyed are concerned about the quality of the food they eat, a 17 per cent decrease from 2008.
"Over the past two years, we have seen a significant shift in how consumers view the foods they purchase," said Pat Conroy, Deloitte's vice chairman. "Though our survey still shows health and safety as the top two concerns facing Americans, the percentages have dropped and consumers are using their increased knowledge of food products to raise concerns around over-processed foods.”
Concerning food safety, Deloitte says that three out of four Americans surveyed feel that the manufacturers/food companies are responsible for communicating product recall information, followed closely by government organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (73 per cent), with less expectations from retailers (53 per cent) and the media (51 per cent).
Results also indicate that nutritional facts matter, with more than half (54 per cent) of those surveyed frequently or always reading the nutritional facts box on an unfamiliar packaged or bottled food item.
The top five nutritional facts that consumers report reading are: calories (71 per cent), total fat (63 per cent), sugars (50 per cent), sodium (45 per cent) and serving size (39 per cent).
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