By Sherezade Rodriguez
A recent study by the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education found that while Floridians are concerned about food safety, they might be worrying about the wrong things.
Of the 510 respondents that participated in the online survey, 26 percent said they were extremely worried about food containing growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticide residues, while only 16 percent were extremely concerned about bacteria in food. Further, 27 percent of respondents indicated extreme concern about the safety of genetically modified foods, or GMOs.
“I think it’s a shame the public’s view of what is a risk and not a risk is so far off,” said Doug Archer, IFAS associate dean for research. “Pesticides, GMOs, those aren’t risks. It’s been shown in study, after study, after study that those do not pose even orders of magnitude near the risk that foodborne disease does.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans, or 48 million people, gets sick from a foodborne illness caused by bacteria and viruses, while 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die.
Consumers’ definition of food safety might differ from scientists, explained Joy Rumble, the PIE Center researcher who led the study. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication.
“When people in the industry or scientists define food safety, we’re talking about the bacteria in food and things that are scientifically proven to make people sick,” Rumble said. “The consumers in this study are perhaps looking at food safety more comprehensively, and they may not want anything in their food that they’re not sure of.”
When asked about their concerns regarding the safety of food additives and preservatives, Floridians in the study responded almost identically. Forty-four percent of participants were moderately or extremely worried about food containing additives and 43 percent were concerned about preservatives.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, additives and preservatives maintain food freshness and improve nutritional values, in addition to improving taste, texture and appearance. The FDA approves additives and preservatives that are scientifically proven to not be toxic.
The PIE Center found that 47 percent of respondents were not worried about the safety of their food containing gluten, while only six percent said they were extremely worried.
Results also showed that Floridians trust the safety of local, organic and all-natural food. Thirty-nine percent reported not being worried about the safety of organic food, compared to 35 percent who felt the same about all-natural food and 28 percent regarding local food.
“That’s one of those knowledge gaps in in my mind, because the production practice doesn’t necessarily change the safety risk,” Rumble said. “A lot of the safety concerns are introduced in the preparation stages.”
PIE Center Director Tracy Irani said researchers found more areas of public confusion or incorrect perceptions in this study than the three previous public opinion surveys the PIE Center has conducted on water quality and quantity, immigration reform and endangered species.
“Given the fact that there’s so much focus and so much work that’s being done to educate the public, we could examine why these gaps continue to exist,” she asked.
The results gathered from this survey are helping the PIE Center identify the main issues with the communication about food safety, Rumble said.
“There’s a general disconnect that the science isn’t matching with the perceptions of the consumer,” she said. “So, either we’re not doing a good job communicating it, or they have different ideas about what food safety really is.”
The PIE Center will continue to conduct public opinion surveys each year that focus on key issues in Florida. Researchers will visit previous survey topics to track changes in public opinion over time.
