The survey also found that men are more comfortable with imported foods compared to women; 76 percent of men are comfortable with food imported from Latin and South America versus 58 percent of women. And younger shoppers are significantly more comfortable with imported foods compared to shoppers aged 65 or older. The higher level of consumer trust in supermarkets to sell safe food resulted in fewer respondents who claim they stopped purchasing certain food items because of food safety concerns. Only 12 percent of shoppers say they no longer purchase an item for those reasons.
While 2011 has not had many high-profile food recalls, consumer confidence in food safety is greatly affected by recall activity. Today's technology is making it easier for food manufacturers and retailers to communicate food recall announcements quickly to a broad audience.
"Supermarkets have built consumer trust by taking extensive measures to safeguard food sold in grocery stores," said FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin. "By working closely with suppliers to ensure safety standards are met, by training staff on best practices for safe food handling and educating consumers about food safety, retailers are a critical link in the safety of the food supply."
