Americans’ confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply has dropped to an all-time low, according to a survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in partnership with the International Assn. for Food Protection (IAFP).
The 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey found just over half of Americans (55%) say they are very or somewhat confident in the safety of the U.S. food supply — a sharp drop from 62% in 2024 and 70% in 2023 and the lowest level of confidence in the survey’s 13 years
Only 11% of respondents are “very confident”; that number also has steadily declined from a high of 24% in 2022, dropping to 17% in 2023 and 14% in 2024. IFIC says the decline in confidence spans nearly all demographic groups.
IFIC presented the findings at the IAFP Annual Meeting this week.
At the same time, Americans are less wary of imported foods than they were a decade ago. Only 32% believe imported foods are less safe than those produced in the U.S., down from 52% in 2014. When it comes to healthfulness, opinions are mixed: 21% say imported foods are less healthy than U.S. foods, 19% say they are healthier, 30% believe they are about the same and 31% are unsure.
Among those with low confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply, leading consumer concerns include:
* A belief that profit is prioritized over safety (59%).
* A perception that not all parts of the food system work together to ensure safety (54%).
* Insufficient government regulation (46%).
* Too many food recalls (43%).
This year, foodborne illness from bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria, tops the list of consumer food safety concerns, with half of Americans (50%) ranking it among their top three. This marks a shift from 2024, when cancer-causing chemicals in food held the top spot.
Foodborne illness (50%) and cancer-causing chemicals in food (47%) are followed by pesticides and pesticide residues (46%) and heavy metals in food (41%). Concern about food additives and ingredients is also on the rise, cited by 36% of respondents—up from 30% last year.
“Even as overall confidence in the U.S. food supply has dropped, Americans are growing less skeptical of foods from abroad,” said Tony Flood, IFIC senior director of food & ingredient safety. “This may reflect growing conversations about how other countries approach food production and regulation.
“Conversations online and in the media often highlight the perceived differences in food standards. That narrative seems to be resonating, but the reality is more complex,” Flood said.
Despite these concerns, the research points to transparency as a way forward. Four in ten Americans say their confidence would grow if they better understood how the government and food companies ensure food safety. A similar number say they would feel assured with stricter regulation around the safety of the food supply.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.