Australians are Positive about the their food supply

A recent survey undertaken by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has found that  61% consumers have confidence in the safety of the Australian food supply.  Food safety ranked twelfth after drought, household finances, the environment and healthy eating.

Foods reported to be a safety concern were  fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and raw chicken/ poultry. The top 3 food issues of concern were food poisoning, storage times of foods sold as fresh and the safety of imported foods.

Consumers regularly referred to the food label for information. The information most commonly referred to was best before/useby dates, amount of fat and country of origin. Information on the nutritional content of foods was obtained from food labels, fact sheets/brochures and the internet.

Most consumers (81%) felt they had a good knowledge about food hygiene and food safety in the home as they had control over this. When eating out only 62% were confident that food safety and hygiene were adequate. Confidence was highest for local bakeries, restaurants and supermarket/grocery stores. It was lowest for temporary foods stalls, fetes, sausage sizzles, and takeaway/fast food outlets.

A full copy of the report is available at www.foodstandards.gov.au

Reference.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Consumer attitudes survey 2007. A benchmark survey of consumers’ attitudes to food issues. January 2008. www.foodstandards.gov.au