A recent poll has found that many Americans are losing trust in the federal government to effectively ensure food safety, especially in the wake of several major food recalls, Newsweek reported.
In a poll conducted by Gallup between July 1 and July 21, 37% of Americans said they either discarded or returned food items in the past year due to a product recall or food safety advisory. Fifty-three percent of respondents said they’ve steered clear of purchasing certain brands or types of foods due to a recall or advisory. Twenty-six percent of participants said they were concerned about possibly consuming contaminated, recalled food.
The poll included 1,010 total respondents.
Additionally, 57% of Americans said they have either “a great deal” or “fair” amount of faith in the U.S. government to ensure food safety and protect consumer health. Twenty-eight percent said they have little confidence, while 14% of respondents said they have no confidence.
Amongst Republicans, confidence in national food safety has experienced the largest decline since 2019, which Gallup explained was due to the change in presidency from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. As of July, 50% of Republicans said they felt confident in the government’s ability to guarantee food safety. That statistic is a 27-point drop from 2019, according to Gallup.
In the same vein, independents also exhibited a growing lack of confidence in the government. Sixty-three percent of independents vocalized confidence in the federal government back in 2019 compared to 52% now.
Democrats, however, have grown more confident in the government’s ability to promote food safety. As of recently, 74% expressed having trust in the government, which is up from 65% in 2019.
Overall, confidence in the federal government is waning across “nearly all demographic subgroups,” Gallup noted. Parents of young children showcased the greatest decline in confidence, from 67% in 2019 to now 49% expressing confidence in the government’s ability. Sixty percent of adults without children said they felt confident in the government versus 68 percent back in 2019.
The latest Gallup poll comes after an influx of food recalls ranging from breakfast items to fresh fruits and deli meat. Many have garnered significant media attention in recent months, namely the recall of approximately 207,528 pounds of Boar’s Head deli meat due to Listeria contamination. The outbreak has been reported in 18 states. At least nine deaths have been reported and 57 people have been hospitalized since the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described it as “the largest listeriosis outbreak since the 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe.”
In June 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled cucumbers due to a potential salmonella contamination. Last month, Perdue Foods, Inc. issued a recall of approximately 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken nuggets and tenders because they may be contaminated with metal fragments. And earlier this week, eggs were recalled because of potential salmonella contamination “after dozens have gotten sick with the same strain of bacteria,” according to a report from Today.
Indeed, food recalls have been frequent and overwhelming for consumers nationwide. There seem to be several reasons why food recalls have been on the rise. There’s the consolidation of food production, as explained by Delish. Giant corporations are paying other companies to produce various food products and then sell them under various brand names. This means that contamination in one area of a large facility can affect several products that can’t be traced to a specific supplier.
“If people cannot trace a product back to a supplier, the supplier has no incentives to keep their processes as clean and effective, in terms of food safety, as possible,” Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group, told NBC News.
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The inclusion of more advanced technology within the food industry has also fueled an increase in recalls. Chris Cook, a county health commissioner in Ohio, told WDTN that such technology can catch contamination issues before a product has even reached consumers, thus prompting more recalls.
In response to Gallup’s poll, a FDA spokesperson told Newsweek that the agency is working on building up people’s confidence when it comes to their food.
“The FDA believes that food should be a vehicle for wellness and takes its responsibility seriously to help ensure the foods we eat are safe,” the spokesperson said. “As we continue to work towards building more robust food safety systems, it is the agency’s hope that we also continue building consumer confidence in the U.S. food supply.
The spokesperson continued, “The FDA acknowledges the feedback presented in the Gallup poll results and will consider it as we move forward with the reorganization of the Human Foods Program, which is being undertaken to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our work.”
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