So what do consumers really think about food safety?

A food safety related business in Europe recently ran a survey across several major cities of the world to determine the general perspective that consumers have of food safety and it’s importance.

The results were interesting compared to a similar survey done in 2007 as now more than 67percent of the 5000 people surveyed believed that food safety was essential, compared to only 48 percent seven years ago. The company expects that this figure will rise to at least 71 percent by 2017.

Even though the biggest food poisoning in world history to date was from a vegetable source (E.coli in sprouts), it is meat and poultry that is the biggest concern to consumers. Seafood comes in second, with the fresh produce bringing up third place.

The survey asked questions about what the consumer is expecting that business will be doing to ensure food safety, and the three biggest ways that are expected are working with suppliers, doing ongoing testing and making sure that the labels are correct.

With people now able to get a story about a food poisoning or contamination incident around the world in virtually seconds with their social media connections, there is no opportunity for food businesses to hide any longer if something goes wrong. The recent incident at a quick serve restaurant in the UK when a customer found a coated and deep fried cleaning cloth instead of a piece of chicken, and how it was all over Facebook, is just an example.

People are becoming more aware of food safety and are more than happy to tell everyone around the world if it isn’t right.

The company made a great little animated video showing the results of the survey. It obviously also includes a bit of PR for the company. You can find it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaSBm21SMsU

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.