Consumer Views on Food Safety

1
Consumer Views on Food Safety

• Christine M. Bruhn, Ph.D.
• Director, Center for Consumer Research
• University of California, Davis

2
Qualities Consumers Value

• Good taste
• Convenience
• Healthy
• Environmentally friendly
• Supports personal philosophy

3
How confident are you that the food in your
supermarket is safe?
85
Completely or mostly confident
Source FMI Trends in the US Consumer Attitudes
and the Supermarket 2005
4
Consumers PerceptionSerious or Some Health Risk
Food Marketing Institute, 1997, 2004
5
Examining Consumer Concerns

• Microbiological Safety

6
Volunteered Concerns
Cogent, 2005
7
Report Not Purchasing Because of Safety Concerns
-11
FMI 2005
8
Consumer Perception Where Safety Problems are
likely to Occur
FMI 2005
9
Sell-by or Use-by Date

• 99 of consumers are aware of the dates
• 58 always look for the date
• Foods checked for date
• 95 Milk, 90 Cheese/yogurt
• 81 Raw meat/poultry
• 72 Pkg deli meat
• 69 Eggs
• 54 Bakery items
• 54 Deli meat sliced in store
• 31 Canned items

FMI 2005
10
Food Irradiation

• Exposes foods to measured levels of energy
• Can reduce harmful bacteria
• In 2005, 4 of consumers report buying irradiated
  food as a practice associated with Healthy
  Eating

FMI 2005
11
Examining Consumer Concerns

• Microbiological Safety
• Pesticide Safety

12
Perceived Risks of Pesticides on Conventional
Produce

• Conventional Consumers 50 per million
• Organic Consumers 200 per million
• Organic produce has less risk from natural
  toxins 50
• Those that distrust regulatory agencies have
  higher risk perceptions
• Organic consumers are skeptical of technology,
  prefer a natural, low technology approach

Williams and Hammitt 2001
13
Belief about Organic Food
Health Focus, 2003
14
Organic Consumer View of Extremely or Very
Important Label Information
Health Focus 2001
15
Examining Consumer Concerns

• Microbiological Safety
• Pesticide Safety
• Biotechnology/Genetic Engineering

16
US Concerns - Food SafetyOpen Ended Question
Cogent, Jan,2005
17
Response to Biotechnology
Attitude toward use of GM to create plant-based
food crops
Approve
Disapprove
Neither
Unsure
Hallman et al, 2004
18
Likely to buy foods modified by biotechnology
Cogent, 2003
19
Consumer Perception of Important Benefits
Pew, 2001
20
Developing an Effective Message

• Listen assess knowledge / identify concern
• Correct misinformation
• Target concerns
• Make recommendations actionable
• Be open / transparent / understandable
• Use information sources convenient to the
  audience
• Assess message clarity and effectiveness

21
Where do consumers get their nutrition
information?
ADA Nutrition You Trends Survey 2002
22
Trustworthy Information
Pew, 2003
23
Perceptions / Communication

• Most are comfortable with the safety of food
• Microbiological hazards - most serious food
  safety hazard
• Consumers need basic food safety (Fight BAC)
• Pesticide concern and lifestyle philosophy have
  lead to growth in the organic market
• Benefit information is critical to accepting new
  technologies
• Communicate via the media and other sources the
  consumer finds convenient