New York / NY. (prn) According to Deloitte´s 2010 Consumer Food Safety Survey, while nine out of ten (90 percent) consumers believe food-related recalls are on the rise, or on par, compared with findings from Deloitte´s 2008 Consumer Food Safety Survey, fewer people seem to be anxious about them. The results show 65 percent of consumers surveyed are concerned about the quality of the food they eat, a 17 percent decrease from 2008.
«The decline in consumers´ concern for quality from our 2008 survey is due, in part, by their need to become more aware and engaged in choosing the products they buy», said Pat Conroy, Deloitte´s vice chairman and U.S. consumer products practice leader. «Consumers view food safety and quality as important issues, and are looking to manufacturers, food companies and government regulatory bodies to drive communication, as well as tackle food quality and safety issues».
In fact, three out of four (75 percent) Americans surveyed feel that the manufacturers/food companies are responsible for communicating product recall information, followed closely by government organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration (73 percent), with less expectations from retailers (53 percent) and the media (51 percent).
Country-of-Origin Label Helping Selection Process
When making food purchases, Americans are doing more hands-on research and reviewing labels carefully, another indication that they are becoming more engaged in the process behind the foods they buy. Half (51 percent) of Americans say the new country-of-origin labels help in determining which fresh meat, fish, fruit or vegetables to purchase, and 45 percent say they would like to find out the country-of-origin on a Web site for all ingredients in a packaged/bottled food product. This may become of increasing importance to consumers, since the survey found that more than half (53 percent) of consumers frequently or always read the list of ingredients on an unfamiliar packaged or bottled food item; up from 50 percent in 2008.
However, although more Americans are reading ingredients, only four out of ten (45 percent) surveyed say they understand at least 75 percent of the ingredients on a packaged food item, up slightly from 2008 (33 percent). Furthermore, 55 percent surveyed understand half or less of the ingredients, which is in line with responses from Deloitte´s 2008 survey (59 percent).
Nutritional Facts Matter
A strong interest in nutrition has caused consumers to reference the «Nutritional Facts» box on packaged/bottled foods when making a purchase. More than half (54 percent) of Americans surveyed frequently or always read the «Nutritional Facts» box on an unfamiliar packaged or bottled food item and 26 percent occasionally, as compared to 15 percent rarely and five percent who never read it.
The top five nutritional facts that consumers report reading are: calories (71 percent), total fat (63 percent), sugars (50 percent), sodium (45 percent) and serving size (39 percent). Four out of ten (42 percent) consumers surveyed frequently or always purchase packaged/bottled foods influenced by health-related claims, such as «low carb», «low sodium» and «heart healthy».
«Over the past two years, we have seen a significant shift in how consumers view the foods they purchase», said Conroy. «Though our survey still shows health and safety as the top two concerns facing Americans, the percentages have dropped and consumers are using their increased knowledge of food products to raise concerns around over-processed foods. Food companies are now dealing with an engaged consumer who actively seeks to understand the products they are looking to buy. This survey should be yet another red flag for the industry, as it shows that consumers are determined to be smarter about the foods they put on their table».
Info: For a copy of Deloitte´s 2010 Food Safety Survey, please visit deloitte.com.
About the Survey: The survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted online by an independent research company between March 22 and March 24, 2010. The survey polled a nationally representative sample of 1’102 consumers in the United States. The survey has a margin of error of +/- three percentage points.
About Deloitte: As used in this report, «Deloitte» means Deloitte LLP and Deloitte Services LP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see deloitte.com for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
OTHER TOPICS FROM THIS SECTION FOR YOU:
- Greggs: announces new National Distribution Centre
- Greencore: announces H1-2024 trading update
- Orkla ASA: reports strong profit improvement in Q2-2024
- Cloetta AB: announces Q2-2024 interim report
- Axfood AB: Reports Q2-2024 Financial Results
- Chef Robotics: Launches AI-Powered Food Robot
- Conagra Brands: Reports Fourth Quarter 2024 Results
- Limerston Capital sells Village Bakery to Groupe Menissez
- GrubMarket: Buys Major Foodservice Company in Texas
- Lantmännen acquires Entrack AB
- DPC Dash: Concludes H1-2024 with Sustained Expansion
- Norway: Orkla Food Ingredients acquires FDE
- Fondo Italiano d’Investimento co-invests in Casa della Piada
- Greggs: invests in a new frozen manufacturing and logistics site
- Bundeskartellamt imposes fine against «Fritz!» manufacturer AVM
- Yum China: Celebrates Opening of its 200th KCoffee Store
- Beijing intends to roll out 5’400 food production robots
- K-Citymarket: sees significant sales growth in Finland
- DPC Dash: reaches 900-store milestone in China
- Coffee Holding: Terminates Merger with Delta Corp Holdings