Fifty-six percent of U.S. shoppers said in a recent survey that they are more concerned about food safety than they were one year ago, according to a new report from British consulting firm Lloyd’s Register.
The firm also wrote that 46% of respondents said they have changed their food shopping or consumption habits in the last 12 months due to a food safety scare.
Lloyd’s Register conducted its research, a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, in November. The report didn’t mention the fresh produce industry and the outbreaks tied to romaine but referenced food safety overall.
The firm mentioned negative media coverage of various incidents as a key factor.
“The extent to which this kind of coverage damages consumer confidence seems clear,” Lloyd’s Register wrote. “ ... Interestingly, just under half of men polled said they were more concerned, while over 60% of women said the same. Those polled in younger age groups also tended to express greater concern than older generations, who were more evenly split.”
The report suggested the food industry figure out how to minimize the fallout from outbreaks and other food safety incidents.
“It is therefore within suppliers’ interests to alleviate concerns and question how to better manage food scares that are reported in the media,” Lloyd’s Register wrote.
The report also delved into U.S. consumer attitudes toward food waste, plastic, meat alternatives and other topics.