Consumer Concern Declines Despite Increased Foodborne Illness Reports

Consumer concern about food safety has declined over the past year even as the number of people experiencing serious foodborne illness nearly doubled, according to the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll.

The monthly poll was developed to gauge attitudes and opinions on a range of health issues, with food safety first addressed in July 2010. Survey respondents were asked the same questions in 2011 to chart changes in sentiment.

The 2010 survey found that 57 percent of consumers were concerned with the safety of their food, down from 61 percent a year ago. However, nearly twice as many respondents reported that they recently contracted a serious food-related illness.

Among respondents who contracted a foodborne illness in the last three months:

• 22 percent said it was serious – up from 12 percent in 2010.
• 68 percent of respondents who earn less than $25,000 per year were concerned with the safety of their food.
• When asked about the safety of specific foods:
  
  • 44 percent of respondents were most concerned with meat
  • 30 percent with poultry
  • 20 percent, seafood
  • 6 percent, dairy products
  • All showed lower levels of concern than were seen in the 2010 survey.

The figures in the 2010 poll are based on 3,017 participants interviewed from July 1-13, 2011. The margin of error is 1.8 percent.

The survey results are available at  http://healthcare.thomsonreuters.com/npr/assets/NPR_report_FoodSafety.pdf.