Consumers Regaining Trust in Fresh Food Safety

ROSEANNE HARPER

BELLEVUE, Wash. — While consumer expectations for fresh food safety remain high, food safety is not necessarily top of mind for them, possibly because shoppers trust their local supermarket, researchers told SN.

“When consumers start shifting over to eating more fresh foods, a whole host of new ideas, thoughts and concerns come up … how to prepare it, what should be their concerns about safety,” said Michelle Barry, president of Tinderbox, a division of The Hartman Group that is dedicated to culture, trends and innovations.

Barry told SN that consumer concerns about perishables safety have not changed much in the last couple of years, and that's a little surprising, she said. They do pay attention to what they're buying, and if they have concerns, they often check things out online.

In a study two years ago, Barry said that consumers said food safety is important, but not something they think about a lot because they have confidence in their local supermarket to ensure their food is safe. Recent research has indicated that most shoppers continue to trust their local supermarket, despite recent foodborne illness outbreaks.

“We're in constant dialogue with consumers. It has come up in qualitative conversations recently. They feel the same way now,” Barry said.

When consumers do voice concerns about food safety, it's usually associated with an isolated episode or outbreak such as last year's E. coli contamination of spinach, Barry noted. In fact, E. coli was the only foodborne pathogen that consumers could think of recently when she talked to them, she said.

Among food categories, Hartman Group research shows consumers have the highest concern for fresh sources of animal protein, with poultry leading the pack, followed by seafood, ground beef, pork, beef (other than ground beef), eggs and dairy products.

After that, fresh produce was named as a source of food safety concern, with bagged leafy vegetables topping the list. Fresh juice and berries came next.