Public Confidence in U.S. Food Safety Declines Amid Concerns About Food Ingredients & Recalls, New IFIC Research Reveals
(Washington, D.C.) — In an era of growing public scrutiny over what is in our food and how safe it is to consume, new data from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) reveals a striking gap between confidence in the safety of the foods and beverages they buy and trust in the safety of the broader U.S. food supply. As consumer concerns evolve, two new IFIC Spotlight Surveys provide a window into how Americans perceive food ingredient safety and food recalls, and what those perceptions mean for the future of food safety communication.
According to the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey, just 55% of Americans express confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply—marking a historic low. Despite this, according to the newly released IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of The U.S. FDA GRAS Program, 72% are confident in the safety of ingredients in the foods and beverages they purchase. This contrast highlights an important disconnect: Americans feel more secure about the safety of what they choose for themselves than they do about the safety of the food supply overall.
“Trust in our food supply cannot be taken for granted—it must be continually earned,” said IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. “With growing consumer demand for transparency and accountability in how food is produced and regulated, we have a real opportunity to improve how we communicate about safety, from ingredients to recalls. With September marking National Food Safety Education Month, there’s no better time to elevate this conversation.”
A Spotlight On Food Ingredients
One area of concern for Americans is food ingredients and additives, especially how they are regulated. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees roughly 80% of the national food supply, including through its Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) program, which allows manufacturers to add substances to food based on expert consensus and scientific evidence supporting their safety.
Awareness of this regulatory program may be on the rise. The 2024 IFIC Food & Health Survey found that 28% of Americans who view food additives and ingredients as an important food safety issues are familiar with GRAS. According to the newly released IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions of the U.S. FDA GRAS Program, just over half (53%) of Americans report they have heard of the FDA’s GRAS regulation for food additives. Overall sentiment on the perceived effectiveness of FDA’s GRAS program also skews positive: among those aware of GRAS, 65% believe it is effective, compared to just 16% who view it as ineffective.
“The U.S. food supply is the safest in the world, yet this reality often clashes with perception. People want to believe the system is working, and they also want to understand how it works,” said Kris Sollid, RD, Senior Director, Research & Consumer Insights, IFIC. “Greater awareness and clearer communication about programs like GRAS and responses to food recalls could go a long way toward building confidence in how and why food safety decisions are made.”
This Spotlight Survey also found that 57% of Americans believe the federal government should be responsible for ensuring food ingredient safety, compared to 34% who would leave that responsibility to individual states. However, Americans are divided in their belief that the federal government has evaluated the safety of the ingredients in their food—51% believe it has, while 24% believe it has not, and the remaining 25% are unsure.
A Spotlight On Food Recalls
Beyond food ingredient safety, foodborne illness and product recalls also weigh heavily on Americans’ minds. The new IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of Food Recalls shows that 74% of Americans believe food recalls are increasing, a perception that directly shapes overall confidence. According to the 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey, among those who lack confidence in the U.S. food supply, 43% cite “too many recalls” as a reason.
Which foods are perceived to be most associated with recalls? According to the results, most Americans (50%) believe fresh meats, poultry, and seafood are among the top two items most frequently involved in food recalls, followed by 41% who believe fresh fruits and vegetables are. Fewer associate recalls with processed foods (24%), dairy products (22%), deli meats (21%), frozen fruits and vegetables (17%), canned foods (15%), or frozen entrees (11%).
But the issue isn’t just the number of recalls or the type of foods involved—it is how these events are communicated and by whom. Among the 75% of survey respondents who remember hearing about a recent recall, very few received the information from the source they believe is responsible for informing the public—nearly half (46%) believe the federal government is responsible, yet only 6% first heard about a recent recall from that source. Instead, 63% reported first hearing about a recent food recall from traditional media (48%) or social media (15%).
There is, however, strong support for innovation in how food recalls are issued. Nearly three in four (73%) support using private retailer loyalty card data to send targeted text message alerts when a product they purchased is recalled. While some (15%) are hesitant, two-thirds (67%) say they would sign up for text message alerts that would let them know whenever food recalls are issued.
“Media is often an effective channel for food recall information today, yet Americans don’t see it as responsible for delivering the message. That disconnect is a clear call to action for greater stakeholder collaboration to make food recall communication faster, more effective, and more targeted,” said Sollid.
The Path Forward
Taken together, these findings reflect a food safety culture in flux.
“This is a pivotal moment to strengthen public confidence in the safety of our food,” said Reinhardt Kapsak. “By improving transparency and communication—from how ingredients are regulated to how recalls are shared—we can build a more informed and trusting relationship with consumers. Food safety is a shared responsibility, and everyone across the system has a role to play.”
Interested in learning more about how consumers think about food recalls? Catch the conversation during the IFIC Expert Webinar: From Alert to Action: Navigating Food Recalls With Confidence on September 18, 2pm ET, featuring insights from Vanessa Coffman, PhD, STOP Foodborne Illness, and Ben Chapman, PhD, NC State University. Each IFIC Expert Webinar is free and provides opportunities for audience questions.
Register for the IFIC Expert Webinar here.
Hungry for more information on the current GRAS process? Check out our recent IFIC Expert Webinar: Generally Recognized As Safe or Generally Misunderstood? Understanding GRAS & Food Additive Safety. The webinar featured insights from Paul Sarnoski, PhD, FDA, and Tony Pavel, J.D. Partner, Keller and Heckman, LLP. This webinar occurred earlier this month, but the recording is available and free to view.
Watch the dialogue here.
For continued reading, check out our GRAS backgrounder and How Food Ingredients Get The Green Light.
Research Methodology
This press release highlights results from four separate consumer surveys: the 2024 and 2025 IFIC Food & Health Surveys, the September 2025 IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of The U.S. FDA GRAS Program, and the September 2025 IFIC Spotlight Survey: American’s Perceptions Of Food Recalls. Methodology for each survey is described below:
2024 and 2025 IFIC Food & Health Surveys
IFIC commissions this survey annually among U.S. consumers (n=3000), with 2025 marking the 20th consecutive year of the IFIC Food & Health Survey. Results were weighted to ensure that they are reflective of the American population ages 18 to 80 years, as seen in the 2024 Current Population Survey. Specifically, results were weighted by age, education, gender, race/ethnicity, and region. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding. The 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey was fielded from March 13-27, 2025. NOTE: The 2024 IFIC Food & Health Survey followed a similar methodology.
September 2025 IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of The U.S. FDA GRAS Program
IFIC commissioned this online survey among U.S. consumers (n=1000) to measure knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Notification Programs. One thousand adults, ages 18 years and older, completed the online survey from July 11-July 16, 2025. Data were weighted to ensure proportional results. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
September 2025 IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions Of Food Recalls
IFIC commissioned this online survey among U.S. consumers (n=1000) 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. Data were weighted to ensure proportional results. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.