IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of Food Recalls
September 16, 2025
Research Type
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The International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned an online survey among U.S. consumers to measure knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about food recalls. One thousand adults ages 18 years and older completed the online survey from June 7-13, 2025, and respondents were weighted to ensure proportional results.
Key findings include:
- Americans expect to hear first from the media about recalls of foods they regularly buy.
- Three in four Americans believes that food recalls are on the rise.
- Three in four Americans have recently heard about a food recall.
- Among those who recently heard about a food recall, more than six in ten first heard about it from traditional or social media.
- Americans think fresh meats, poultry, seafood, fruits, and vegetables are the foods most often involved in recalls.
- Nearly half of Americans believe that federal government agencies are responsible for informing the public about food recalls.
- When shown a hypothetical food recall notice, the affected company or products ranked as the most important information.
- Nearly three in four Americans agree that private information provided for grocery shopper loyalty cards show be used to alert individuals if they purchased recalled food.
- Two in three Americans are interested in signing up for text message alerts that would let them know when a food recall has been issued.