The roots of this study lay in the events of 2003 and early 2004 when mad cow/BSE was first discovered in North America (first in Canada in December 2003 and then in the United States in January 2004). To gauge public reaction to the mad cow event and other concerns for food safety, The Hartman Group conducted two identical on-line Internet surveys: one in January 2004 and another in April 2005. Results from both surveys show that public concern for the safety of food, especially in animal proteins, remains high: As if in response to intense media coverage of mad cow/BSE, concern for the safety of ground beef remains very high among consumers, followed closely by concerns over the safety of seafood, poultry and other meats. Overall, food safety is a broad topic that encompasses many areas of food production and consumption. From a consumer perspective, "food safety" is a term that connotes products that are clean, free of contaminants and properly produced. Consumer concern for food safety is high for many types of foodborne illnesses and also for a variety of food production techniques that are viewed as threats. Consumers feel the most control over food safety in their homes, and the least control for food safety when dining out. Despite the fact that food safety has a national scope, with headlines referring to threats to the food supply in the form of bioterrorism or to regional outbreaks of various foodborne illnesses, consumers appear mainly focused on a more personal process of protecting themselves and their families from harm and sickness due to the consumption of unsafe foods. In particular, our study finds that: - Food safety is not a fad, but appears to be a slowly upward-moving trend among consumers whereby they are topically, yet actively, vigilant and aware of food safety issues ranging from foodborne illnesses to various controversial food production and processing methods. In addition, consumers seem highly attuned to what they perceive to be "proper" methods of handling, storing and preparing foods in restaurants, supermarkets and at home. - In the minds of consumers "food safety" is a term that designates an "absence of harm" derived from eating foods that are "free of" or "clean" of contaminants, bacteria, or additives that will make themselves or their families sick. In addition, consumers cite repeatedly that food safety means foods that are "properly" produced and processed. - When describing food safety, consumers use categorical terms to describe foods that are free of bacteria, pesticides, chemicals, disease, additives or contaminants. Categorical terms are much more commonly used than specific disease terms (e.g., "mad cow") or production terms (e.g. "irradiation"). - From another viewpoint, some consumers view "food safety" as a term that describes foods that are "clean." When we examined what words were used to classify food safety along with the word "clean," the term "free of" appears frequently, as do the key words "fresh" and "healthy." To a lesser extent, the operative word "prepared" occurs along with "clean," as does the word "organic" indicating that in an archetypal world, food safety for some consumers means foods that are "clean, free of contaminants, fresh, healthy, prepared properly and organic." This description of clean foods corresponds to a subtle undercurrent among some consumer advocacy groups and food marketers who are using the term "clean" to describe foods (especially organic foods) that are "free of industrial chemicals, additives, hormones, growth stimulants, antibiotics and other animal drugs." - When framing their definitions of food safety, consumers use five interrelated mindsets, with the word "proper" (or "properly") being used predominantly. These five food safety mindsets include: Process: Properly washed, prepared, cooked, grown, handled, stored, packaged and controlled foods Consumption: Eating foods that are clean, free of contaminants, fresh, and healthy Diligence: Making sure food is properly stored, fresh, and clean Storage: Keeping foods clean, bacteria free, uncontaminated, fresh Peace of Mind: Knowledge that food has been handled, prepared, packaged, washed in a safe way and knowing what is in food - These five mindsets reflect that for consumers, food safety is a highly tactile and active world made up of key processes that include vigilance, knowledge and the careful physical "processing" of foods in order to safely consume them. - Consumers overwhelmingly show high concern and the greatest perceived lack of control when it comes to eating out in restaurants. - With regard to shopping for food, consumers see the process as highly controllable by tactile judgments made about "safe food" based on appearance, smell and printed dates. - Although consumers are very concerned about food safety in their homes, they do feel that they have a sense of control over aspects such as: - Cleanliness of cooking surfaces, utensils and foods - Freshness and storage of foods - Food origins and ingredients - Personal hygiene - Many of these "areas of control" within the home are also mentioned when consumers voice concerns about a lack of control over food safety when dining out in restaurants. In particular, and with regard to food safety in restaurants, consumers voiced the following concerns over: - Employees and personal hygiene (young age of employees, use of hands) - Where food is prepared in a restaurant (in a back room vs. prepared visibly) - Origins of food (where does it come from?) - The general cleanliness of the kitchen and restaurant overall - The freshness of food (was it previously frozen or made from fresh ingredients?) - Additives in meals or drinks (what's in the milk shake?) - Based on discussions with consumers, they are more likely to classify fast food restaurants as less safe to eat in than more "upscale" restaurants, based on overall perceptions of the establishment itself, employee age and hygiene, and the freshness of food ingredients. - When asked to classify a set of food safety criteria that might be used when assessing their choice of fast food restaurants in our online surveys, consumers from all wellness segments of the world of wellness showed the greatest concerns for the cleanliness and appearance of restaurants, followed closely by the appearance of the food served and whether or not employees use gloves when handling food. - In terms of food categories, consumers have the highest concern for food safety when it comes to fresh sources of animal protein, ranking these categories from most to least important: poultry, seafood, ground beef, pork, beef (other than ground beef), eggs and dairy products. - Except for poultry, consumers exhibit increasing levels of concern for food safety in animal protein categories as one moves closer to the core of the world of wellness. In the case of poultry, mid-level wellness consumers exhibit more concern for food safety than core consumers: One explanation for this may lay in the overwhelming popularity of chicken as a recommended "healthy" protein alternative to red meat in many of the diet and weight management programs used by mid-level consumers. - Below animal protein, fruits and vegetables are the next level of "fresh" foods that consumers show food safety concern for, with bagged leafy vegetables, fresh juice and berries garnering the greatest concern. As with many areas in the sphere of food safety, core consumers are consistently more concerned than mid-level and periphery wellness consumers in this food category. - When asked what are the safest foods to purchase, consumers gave examples that included: - Foods fresh from the farm ("food from farm stands") - Foods made at home ("home-made foods," "cooked foods") - Foods purchased in natural foods stores ("organic foods," "fresh foods") - Foods that are processed by canning or freezing - When asked what criteria they use to decide when food is "not safe to buy" when shopping in a store, there were certain criteria that differ by wellness segment. Moving closer to the core of wellness, consumers are increasingly influenced to not purchase food in stores on the grounds of food safety because of perceptions about: - The use of pesticides on foods - The use of growth hormones in foods - The use of antibiotics in foods - The use of artificial ingredients
