A survey by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revealed how much people are aware of and pay attention to food safety.
EFSA conducts the survey every three years. This year it includes the 27 EU member states and seven EU candidate countries. Eurobarometer fieldwork in March and April involved more than 26,300 interviews in EU countries and 5,600 interviews in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey between March and May.
Seven in 10 Europeans said they were personally interested in food safety. Interest is high in Greece, Cyprus and Finland but low in Poland, Czech Republic and Estonia.
Food safety comes third at 46 percent, behind cost at 60 percent and taste at 51 percent, among factors influencing food choices. Food safety is top in Italy and Romania.
Consumer role
The main reason for not following food safety information is to take it for granted that food is safe, as stated by four in 10 people, followed by knowing enough to avoid or mitigate food risks and finding such information highly technical and complex.
In Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, more than half of citizens do not pay attention to information about food safety because they presume the food sold is safe. Only 31 percent think this in Romania and France.
Barbara Gallani, head of communication and partnerships at EFSA, said: “It is positive that so many people in the EU have confidence in the safety of their food. At the same time, we and our partners need to keep underlining that food safety is a shared responsibility. Consumers have an important role to play, for example, in relation to food hygiene, food preparation and following healthy and varied diets.”
In response to a mock Salmonella egg outbreak, almost eight in 10 indicated they were likely to change their food preparation or consumption behavior if such an incident is reported and authorities advise taking precautionary measures. This proportion ranges from 86 percent in Greece to 62 percent in Latvia.
More than one quarter believe that all kinds of foods involve some risk, and it is impossible to check and avoid them all. Another common reason for not changing behavior was they are able to tell from the look, smell or taste if the food was contaminated — however, this is not correct.
More awareness of food poisoning
Most Europeans have heard of the 15 topics they were asked about. The most familiar ones remain food additives and pesticides in line with previous results, but increases were seen in awareness of animal diseases, microplastics in food, and food poisoning. Food poisoning from food or drinks contaminated by bacteria, viruses, and parasites is the most frequently reported answer in Romania.
The top concerns among these issues remain pesticides, antibiotics, hormones or steroids in meat, and food additives. When unprompted, concerns about chemical contaminants are most mentioned.
Eight in 10 EU citizens agree there are regulations in place to make sure that the food they eat is safe; 76 percent know the EU relies on scientists to give expert advice; 68 percent agree the EU has a separate institution that provides scientific advice; and 71 percent agree that EU and national authorities work together.
Nine in 10 trust general practitioners and specialist doctors as sources of information on food risks. High levels of trust are reported for scientists working at a university or publicly-funded research organization, consumer groups, and farmers and primary producers. Seven in 10 trust national authorities and EU institutions are trusted by 69 percent.
Nikolaus Kriz, EFSA’s executive director, said: “The new figures on citizens’ awareness of EU food safety are hugely encouraging for EFSA and our many partners across Europe. We will continue to join forces with the European Commission and our national partners to communicate to citizens about how the food safety system benefits them.”
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