Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on December 4, 2024
A new Gallup poll reports that American consumers have lost faith in the country’s food supply. Both trust in government assurance of food safety and faith in safety of food at grocery stores have shown a marked decline.
A Gallup poll is a survey conducted by the Gallup company. A global analytics and advisory firm. It was founded by Dr. George Gallup in 1935 as the American Institute of Public Opinion in Princeton, New Jersey, the firm. But what skyrocketed its name to fame was the 1936 Presidential election.
The Literary Digest, the premier poll of record at the time, predicted Alfred Landon would win the election. Gallup contradicted that stance. The American Institute of Public Opinion indicated Franklin Roosevelt would win the vote.
After all official presidential election votes were cast, Franklin Roosevelt won his second term by a significant margin. He received 523 electoral votes (27,476,673 popular votes) to Alfred Landon’s 8 electoral votes (16,679,583 popular votes).
The notoriety from the results of that election made the “Gallup Poll” a household name.
Now the organization serves as the voice of the world with extensive surveys reaching the masses on various political and social topics.
A recent Gallup poll publication indicates a reduced trust in the government’s assurance of food safety. A level lower than has ever been historically reported. Additionally, consumer’s faith in the grocery store has also declined.
Gallup, Inc has monitored “Americans’ confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply” since 1999.
The recent statistic 57% of U.S. adults who currently indicate a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the government to keep the food supply safe is 11 percentage points lower than the 68% reported in 2019.
According to the report, between 1999 and 2006, roughly eight in 10 Americans had faith in the government’s ability to ensure food safety.
That all changed in 2007.
After a massive Salmonella outbreak in 2007, only seven in 10 remained confident. A stance that remained fairly confident until 2019.
Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits poll was conducted this summer between July 1 and July 21, 2024.
57% “expressed at least fair amounts of confidence in the government to keep food safe”
28% “do not have much confidence”
14% “have none at all”
Along party lines, the poll revealed that while Republicans’ confidence decreased by 27%, Democrat’s confidence has increased. Between 2019 and the recent poll, their confidence has risen by 9%.
One of the largest reported drops in confidence so far was observed among parents of young children. Only 49% now express confidence in the government’s assurance of the food supply. An 18% drop from the 2019 67% statistic
The stance of those who are not parents of young children dropped 8% from the 68% measured in 2019.
“While the two groups held similar views five years ago, parents are now much less confident than non-parents in food safety.”
Between lead in children’s cinnamon apple sauce, continued problems with infant formula, and recent mass outbreaks related to deli meat, fast food, ground beef, and poultry products, it is no real surprise.
A separate poll on the safety of food at grocery stores also showed a marked decline in confidence.
Just over seven in 10 Americans indicated that they were “very or somewhat confident” in food safety at grocery stores. An 11% drop from five years ago.
This confidence declines across all subgroups polled.
Republicans’ confidence in grocery stores reduced by 14%, Independents reduced by 10%, and Democrats decreased by 2%.
According to the poll, both non-parents and parents of young children showed similar declines with parents continuing to be less confident (65%) than non-parents (74%) in the recent poll.
Those showing the most confidence in safety of food at grocery stores included U.S. adults with an annual household income of $100,000 or more and college graduates, 78% and 75% respectively.
This is much higher compared to those with less education. Younger Americans, adults aged 18 to 34 only showed 62% confidence. This could be because those with higher income “may have greater access to a broader range of stores, brands and health-focused options.”
The Gallup poll report leans toward recent recalls as the reason for this poll’s decline in consumer confidence.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published 19 food recalls in June 2024. The month before the Gallup’s survey. Recalls where the government’s advice was essentially to throw out potentially contaminated food or return it to the store.
The report indicated that 37% of Americans report having to throw out food in response to a product recall or food safety advisory in the past year.
With rising food costs, this hits not only the consumer’s confidence, but also their bank account.
Many Americans (53%) now avoid certain brands or types of foods due to recalls or advisories. With consumer habits changing in response to recent events, it isn’t a leap to see their confidence has declined.
Based on the recent Gallop poll results, overall consumer confidence has declined. Both in the government’s ability to assure food safety and in grocery stores to offer safe food.
While the Gallup company is usually an accurate measure of public opinion, it is based on a human system. Therefore, there are times when it isn’t entirely accurate.
Does the recent Gallup poll on consumer confidence in the food supply reflect your views?
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “New Gallup Poll Sheds Light on American’s Trust in Our Food Supply,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)