Consumer Confidence In Food Safety On The Decline: Unpacking Concerns Over Ingredients & Trust

(Washington, D.C.) — In light of numerous food recalls and a surge in alarming headlines about toxic ingredients in our food, it is no wonder that consumer confidence in the safety of the food supply is waning. In fact, the 2024 IFIC Food & Health Survey reveals that consumer confidence has reached an all-time low—the lowest it has been in a decade.  Given this stark decline, the latest International Food Information Council (IFIC) Spotlight Survey: American Consumer Perceptions of Food Ingredient Safety further examines how consumers make safety assessments when it comes to purchasing and consuming foods and beverages, specifically regarding ingredients.   “Trust is at the heart of food choices for individuals and their families,” said IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. “By exploring how consumers assess food and ingredient safety, we can pinpoint where trust may be faltering and identify opportunities to rebuild it.”  Top Safety Concerns Include Foodborne Illness, Heavy Metals  The latest IFIC Spotlight Survey seeks to identify the most pressing food safety concerns for Americans. Survey takers selected microbial concerns, such as the presence of E. coli, and the presence of heavy metals in food as the primary issues of concern. Specifically, nearly 1 in 3 Americans (32%) are “extremely concerned” about E. coli in ground beef. Additionally, 29% of Americans are extremely concerned about lead, cadmium, and arsenic in baby food, while 27% voice extreme concern about mercury in seafood.  Less than 1 in 5 are extremely concerned about allergens in packaged foods (16%) and allergens in foods served at restaurants (15%).   Ultraprocessed Foods, Dyes & Sugar Substitutes Ranked As The Most Avoided Foods & Ingredients   The latest Spotlight Survey uncovers a variety of factors that Americans consider when assessing the safety of food products, including foods and ingredients they avoid, as well […]

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3 Ways Mindfulness Can Help Reduce Food Waste

Food waste is a continual issue in the United States. A new study reported that nearly 150,000 tons of food is wasted, or about one pound per American daily. Recently, “healthy eaters” have been pinned as the worst offenders, with produce as one of the most wasted foods. But who wants to be told they’re contributing to waste when they’re just trying to eat fruits and vegetables? While you may be trying to do your body some good by increasing your produce intake, you might need some inspiration to get creative with how you buy and utilize your groceries. Let’s dive into some practical tips that may help you be more mindful of your food choices and reduce the amount of food you waste. 1. Get Creative at Home Too often we assume that because it’s grocery shopping day, we automatically need to stock up on X, Y or Z at the supermarket. Challenge yourself one day each week to make meals with the foods you still have — whether that’s some meat in the freezer, canned goods in the pantry or the long-lost veggies in the crisper drawer. You may also want to consider giving your fridge a makeover by putting produce in more visible areas. 2. Finish Now or Finish Later Mindful eating is about awareness while eating. A common practice is to notice all the different sensory aspects of food (taste, texture, aroma, etc.) while limiting distractions during mealtimes. Pairing mindful eating with intuitive eating (which aims to remove food rules and bring back the joy of eating) can help you focus on your hunger cues and be present for your meal. It’s just fine if you end up finishing it all at once — but if you want to save some for later, that works too. […]

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What is the Flexitarian Diet?

Download the Flexitarian Diet Fact Sheet Here Highlights The Basics Most Americans do not consume the recommended amounts of dairy, fruits, legumes (e.g., chickpeas, lentils and beans, including soy), seafood, vegetables or whole grains.1,2,3 While a complete diet overhaul may seem daunting, one style of eating—the “flexitarian diet”—attempts to make it easier to shift dietary choices by focusing more on what can be added to the diet rather than what should be taken away. The flexitarian diet is a play on two words: flexible and vegetarian. While no single definition has been adopted, the flexitarian diet can be generally defined as a semi-vegetarian, plant-forward diet that incorporates dairy and eggs and allows room for meat from time to time. The emphasis on plant foods is thought to contribute to the health benefits associated with a vegetarian diet without requiring compliance to the dietary rules of 100%-vegetarian or vegan diets. There are no set calorie or macronutrient goals in a flexitarian diet. Instead, the goal is to increase the consumption of plant or plant-based foods over time, keeping in mind that meat is not off-limits but rather that it is eaten less frequently and/or in smaller portions. Calories in the flexitarian diet mostly come from nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, legumes, whole grains and vegetables. When it comes to protein, plant-based foods (e.g., soy foods, legumes, nuts and seeds) are the primary source. Protein also comes from eggs and dairy, with lesser amounts coming from meat, especially red and processed meats. Due to the emphasis on nutrient-dense foods, the flexitarian diet encourages limiting one’s intake of saturated fat, added sugars and sodium. The Flexitarian Diet and Your Health A flexitarian diet can have a positive impact on health,4,5 while being less strict than a 100%-vegetarian or vegan diet. The plant-forward philosophy […]

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Even on Food Issues, Politics Divides Americans

WASHINGTON, DC – The ideal presidential candidate is not the only thing Americans have a hard time agreeing on. An ideological rift exists on certain food issues too. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2016 Food and Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes Toward Food Safety, Nutrition & Health examines how consumers differ in their attitudes on food issues. The results show that conservatives and liberals differ in their attitudes toward sustainability, trust in government for food-related information, and their top food safety issues. “The 2016 Food & Health Survey marks the 11th edition of an ongoing investigation into the beliefs and behaviors of Americans,” said Kimberly Reed, President of the International Food Information Council Foundation. “We are seeing a growing national food dialogue, and Americans are hungry for more information about nutrition and the food system,” Reed said. “The 2016 Survey, which includes a special focus on understanding the complex array of factors that influence food decisions, provides important insights and trends for health professionals, government officials, educators, as well as others who seek to understand and improve the health of all Americans.” However, liberals are far more likely to cite “pesticides” as a top food safety issue (38 percent vs. 24 percent), while conservatives are twice as likely to cite “carcinogens or cancer-causing chemicals in food” (40 percent vs. 20 percent). Sustainability Consumers approach sustainability from different angles. Liberals more readily cite the importance of environmental aspects of sustainability, while conservatives are drawn to sustainability for economic reasons. For example, conservatives believe that conserving farmland over multiple generations (41 percent) and ensuring affordability of the food supply (47 percent) are the most important aspects of sustainability, while liberals cite reducing carbon footprint (22 percent) and conserving natural habitats (51 percent). Both conservatives and liberals agree overwhelmingly that it is […]

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Functional Foods: Superheroes for Health

Taste plays a chief role in why we choose foods—as demonstrated by nearly two decades of our annual Food and Health Survey. But healthfulness is also an important driver of food purchases, and many people want to know how specific nutrients affect their health and well-being. In fact, many people seek out certain foods to support their energy, weight management, digestive, heart health, sleep, and immunity goals. Whether it’s a probiotic yogurt or vitamin D-enhanced mushrooms, eating more functional foods (sometimes hyped-up as “superfoods”) can improve our health, longevity, and quality of life. Read on to find out how. What Are Functional Foods? The term “functional foods” originated in Japan during the 1980s. In 1991, the Japanese government established a regulatory system for the labeling of “Foods for Specified Health Uses” (FOSHU) to classify foods considered to be beneficial for human health. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also regulates functional foods, despite there being no legal definition in this country. In general, foods are considered “functional” if they provide benefits beyond basic nutritional needs, such as further enhancing health and well-being. The beneficial nutrients in functional foods may be naturally present, or they may be added during manufacturing. The production of functional foods can also include the removal or substitution of some ingredients that may improve their nutritional profile—such as fat being removed from whole milk to create reduced-fat (2%), low-fat (1%), and fat-free (skim) milks. Other examples of functional foods include fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, and fortified or enhanced foods like cereals and probiotic beverages. As you can see, there are a wide variety of functional foods to choose from—some in their whole form, and others that have been enriched, fortified, or otherwise nutritionally enhanced. With a better understanding of […]

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Coronavirus and Safe Food Shopping Q&A

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, many of us are trying to navigate how to safely venture out and shop for groceries, bring food into our homes, and prepare meals. To that end, some of us are having our groceries and meals delivered or picked up as takeout. But how do we know that we’re making changes in a safe manner? Even though there is no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus) by food, we may still have questions about modifying our shopping behaviors as we adjust to the “new normal.” Let’s dig into some food-safety best practices and shed light on how to properly shop and handle food during the coronavirus pandemic. What are some safety measures I can take while I shop for groceries? There are a few effective and (hopefully uncomplicated) measures we can all take to practice caution and while acquiring our groceries. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators, but they can assist in stopping the spread of virus from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people to others. Once home, everyone should wash their hands. The CDC advises that proper handwashing includes scrubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds with water (cold or warm) and soap to eliminate all germs. Are my groceries unsafe due to shoppers potentially transferring the coronavirus to products? Health authorities affirm that there is no evidence that food or food packaging is causing the spread of coronavirus. Because the coronavirus has relatively poor survivability on surfaces (less than three days), there […]

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Your COVID-19 Resource for Food Safety and Nutrition

We’ve rounded up all of our COVID-19 resources on food production, food safety and nutrition, all in one spot: A Closer Look at Meat Safety During COVID-19 Summer may be grilling season, but while we’re in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are looking to buy and cook food and host gatherings in different ways. This article covers safety regulations for meat in a pandemic. COVID-19 and Food Safety Concerns: Results from the 2020 Food and Health Survey Food safety concerns have been a major topic in the public conversation around COVID-19, alongside issues like the coronavirus and shopping, the coronavirus and the food supply, and the coronavirus and food deliveries. Our 2020 Food and Health Survey, which was fielded in mid-April, dug deeper into Americans’ perceptions of food safety during this unpredictable time. Here are some of the key findings. IFIC Recognizes World Food Safety Day 2020: Top Food Safety Facts to Keep in Mind As we celebrated World Food Safety Day on June 7th this year—in the midst of a global pandemic—it’s now more important than ever for us to think about how to safely buy, prepare and serve our food. Consumer Survey: A Second Look at COVID-19’s Impact on Food Purchasing, Eating Behaviors and Perceptions of Food Safety We conducted our first consumer research on COVID-19’s effects on shopping for food, eating habits and perspectives on food safety in early April. This most recent survey, fielded May 7th to May 12th, serves as a follow-up to this initial research. It tracks several questions asked previously in April and asks new ones to help us better capture the full scale of the pandemic’s effects on how we think and feel about food in these ever-changing times. The U.S. Food Supply Amid COVID-19 In the global […]

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Genetically Modified Organisms and Our Food Supply

GMO (genetically modified organism) foods are being seen more and more in our food supply and are often cited as the future of our agricultural system. Many GMOs, in fact, are already ingredients in food products that we frequently enjoy. GMO crops are crops that have been safely engineered to have new traits such as increased vitamin availability, drought resistance and pest tolerance. Genetically modified (GM) foods support the food production system by increasing yields, supporting conservation and building sustainability through social, environmental and economic opportunities. Today, let’s take a closer look at the characteristics of the 11 GM foods that have been approved in the U.S. 1. Alfalfa GM alfalfa, a highly nutritious legume used as cattle and dairy feed, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006. It is the fourth largest U.S. crop (both in acreage and production). GM alfalfa has been altered to (a) be more resistant to herbicides like glyphosate and/or (b) contain less lignin, making the alfalfa easier to digest by cattle. These modifications limit the overgrowth of weeds, increase alfalfa production, and increase the nutritive value of feed for cows. 2. Apples Approved by the FDA in 2015, GM apples first appeared on the U.S. market in 2017. We’ve all heard that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and GM apples have been modified to keep browning away by suppressing the oxidase enzyme. These non-browning apples can reduce food waste in the food system, as bruised apples (which may be perfectly fine to eat) may appear brown and distasteful to consumers. 3. Canola FDA-approved in 1999, the GM canola plant is an oilseed crop whose seeds are used for canola oil (a heart-healthy unsaturated fat), animal feed and biofuel. The canola plant has been modified to increase […]

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