Food safety consumer concerns

It is necessary that consumers feel that full and comprehensive actions are taken to tackle major food safety concerns. 

There is a new consumer environment that features increased food safety concerns, a focus on health and diet, and increasingly globalised consumer tastes. In more developed markets, experts predict that social and environmental concerns, especially ethical ones, will continue to emerge as not only competitive differentiators, but as basic rules of the game and prerequisites for participation. 

The food technologist may be especially interested in the fate of the carotenoids in the seed oil. Like red palm oil, the resulting carotenoid-pigmented canola oil may be more stable due to the antioxidant properties of carotenoids and may be more attractive to consumers. Alternatively, for food security concerns, transgenic soybean or canola oils and seed meals that are genetically modified for more efficient bio-diesel production may be bio-safety marked with lipid-soluble carotenoids and water-soluble anthocyanins, respectively. Potatoes are excellent potential sources of dietary carotenoids, and over-expression of CrtB in tubers led to the accumulation of P-carotene. Potatoes normally have low levels of leaf-type carotenoids, like canola cotyledons. 

Second, in a survey of 1000 British consumers, respondents were asked how worried they were about a series of potential food safety issues previously identified from focus groups as things which concerned consumers about food consumption. In Table 6.5 the worries are ranked according to the percentage of respondents who said they were either very or extremely worried about the food safety issue. For example, 60% were very or extremely... 

Outcome 1. Suppose that risk perception is the main driver of a consumer s reaction to a food safety scare. This would suggest that communicating research information effectively is a powerful tool in changing behavior. That is, providing and communicating the true probabilities of being exposed to the risk (when possible) will be a useful way to respond to consumers concerns. 

Two of the best known surveys that monitor consumer attitudes, concerns, and behaviors on various nutrition and food safety issues are the Trends survey developed by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Prevention Index published by Rodale Press (1996). 

From 1980 through June 2000, the FDA received a total of 34,011 reports describing adverse reactions attributed to food additives, food products, infant formula, medical foods, dietary supplements, and other substances in food. Adverse reaction reports were submitted by consumers, food companies, consumer advocacy groups, and by individuals commenting on various FDA initiatives and proposals. The food additives receiving the most complaints are shown in Table 7.1. The fat substitute olestra accounted for more than half of all complaints received by ARMS. The following six sections pertain to food additives that have generated controversy because of safety concerns. For each additive, pertinent data from the ARMS database are presented. 

Comments on the DG SANCO Consultation of Consumer Organizations, Industry Concerned and Other Interested Parties on the Strategy for Completion of the Positive List of Food and Food Ingredients to be Authorised for Irradiation Treatment, Annex of Directive 1999/3/EC, SANCO/4175/2000-rev.l, European Commission, Health and Consumer Protection Directorate-General, Directorate D - Food Safety Production and Distribution Chain, Brussels, 2000. Ehlermann, D.A.E. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 2002, 63, Til. 

The modern food industry is confronted with the consumers increased requirements concerning their final products. Apart from product safety, further crucial characteristics such as colour, flavour, texture and sensory stability are important issues for the evaluation by the consumer. Thus, the requirements for the flavour of the final product are increasing. This requires extensive knowledge in various fields. 

Concerns with antibiotic use have centered on the potential development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, and allergic or physiological responses. Customer perceptions about food safety differed by gender, age, and education level. Women were more concerned about quality control and pesticides than men, whereas consumers with at least some college education were more concerned with spoilage and bacteria/germs contamination than those with only a high school education. 

Center for Produce Quality, in Fading Scares—Future Concerns Trends in Consumer Attitudes Toward Food Safety, Produce Marketing Association, Alexandria, VA (1992). 

Make information available to consumers so that they can make an informed choice. It is essential that consumers are properly informed about the food that they purchase. Apart from the fact that this is one of their basic rights, communication on food safety that is poor or absent can lead to scare stories in the media with consequential concern for consumers and money lost by food suppliers. 

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