Cartoon: Walt Handelsman: Newsday
According to a new IBM study, only 20% of the country believes that their food is safe. The study reveals that the majority of consumers no longer feel that the food industry is no longer developing or selling food products that are safe of healthy.
The multiple high-profile recalls over the past few months have also made their impact: 83% of those surveyed said they could name a recalled food. Peanut butter was the most recognizable recalled food with 46%.
Even with the C.O.O.L program in place, 76% wanted more information on the origin of their food. This increased caution and awareness from consumers have lead them to change their buying habits; 63% of the survey participants reported changing their habits to access fresher or higher quality foods- even in the poor economy.
PR Newswire has more:
The survey found that over the past two years, consumer appetite for information about food products increased. 77 percent of consumers want more information about the content of the food products they purchase, and 76 percent would like more information about its origin. 74 percent are willing to dig deeper and seek more data about how the food products are grown, processed and manufactured. Despite industry efforts to keep consumers informed with more detailed product information, there's still a significant gap between consumer expectations and what retailers/manufacturers are providing.What is changing in food safety to keep up with these demands? The LA Times has an article detailing and criticizing the just-cleared-for-a-senate-vote Food Safety Enhancement Act:
The objective of safeguarding consumers would be more effectively met if the bill didn't perpetuate the existing system of splitting oversight among multiple agencies. Most notably, the Department of Agriculture -- which receives 80% of the food safety funding, although it's responsible for just 20% of the nation's food -- would continue to oversee meat and eggs. Combining the missions under one agency would make better organizational sense and provide more flexibility for spending regulatory dollars where they are most needed.You can read more about the act at the Examiner.com.
Further Reading
More on the IBM survey via Media Post
Food Safety for Warehousing via Authorstream
Food Distributors and Safety via DMA Online
A review on the new movie Food, INC, via the NY Times
