Manufacturers have changed their practices because U.S. consumers are highly aware of food safety issues and have high recognition of third party certification as an effective signal of food safety assurance according to a new survey from Michigan State University.
“Consumers are not only aware of food safety issues they are actually changing their shopping habits due to food safety concerns,” says Chris Peterson, Ph.D., director of the Product Center at MSU. “Nearly half of the consumers we surveyed indicated a change in shopping patterns.”
These and other findings are the results of more than 400 consumers surveyed across the country representing a wide variety of demographics, education, and income levels. Under the guidance of the MSU team, the surveys were conducted online by an independent research firm. In addition to indicating a high sensitivity to food safety issues, U.S. consumers say they want to see evidence on product labels that the food they are buying has passed some kind of independent safety certification process. Moreover, slightly more than one third of consumers indicate a willingness to pay a premium, upwards of 30 percent more. “It is interesting and important to note that higher price alone is not a direct signal of safer food,” says Peterson. “Even brand name recognition is not the most powerful indicator of safety. Voluntary third-party certification compares favorably with mandatory government inspection and slightly ahead of traceability labeling in the mind of the consumer. In fact, most consumers would advise the food industry to invest proportionately more in certification programs than in government inspection or traceability.”