Canadians Concerned About Safety of Food They Eat

61% of Canadians Concerned About Canada Being Affected By Mad Cow Disease

59% Say Someone in Canada Will Be Infected With the Human Form of Mad Cow Disease

Toronto, ON - The results of an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail survey reveal that almost seven in ten (68%) Canadians say they are concerned about the safety of the food they eat. Despite these concerns however, three-quarters of Canadians (76%) say they trust Canada's food inspection agency to protect them from food borne illnesses such as mad cow disease. However, six in ten (61%) Canadians are concerned about Canada being affected by mad cow disease. A similar number (59%) also think that someone in Canada will be infected by the human form of mad cow disease.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted between February 20th and February 22nd 2000. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

Seven In Ten (68%) Concerned About the Safety of the Food They Eat

More generally, almost seven in ten (68%) agree that they are "concerned about the safety of the food I eat ". Indeed, four in ten (40%) Canadians "strongly agree" while another three in ten (29%) who "somewhat agree". Only 31 percent disagree (14% "strongly disagree" and 17% "somewhat disagree").

• Concern about the safety of food is highest in Atlantic Canada (84%) and Ontario (78%) and is lowest in Quйbec (49%).
• Women (69%) are just as likely as men (67%) to be concerned about the safety of the food they eat.
• There are no statistically significant differences across age groups.

But Three Quarters (76%) Trust Canada's Food Inspection Agency To Protect Them From Food-Borne Illnesses

Despite their concerns about mad cow disease and the safety of the food they eat, three-quarters (76%) of Canadians agree with the statement "I trust Canada's food inspection agency to protect me from food borne illnesses such as mad cow disease". One third (33%) "strongly agree" and 43 percent "somewhat agree". Less than a quarter (23%) disagree with only one in ten (11%) who "strongly disagree" and 12 percent who "somewhat disagree".

• Trust in Canada's food inspection agency is not statistically different across the regions or major demographic groups.

61% of Canadians Concerned About Canada Being Affected By Mad Cow Disease

As concern about mad cow disease intensifies around the world, more than six in ten (61%) Canadians say they are concerned about Canada being affected by mad cow disease. This includes one in five (21%) who are "very concerned" and four in ten (40%) who say they are "somewhat concerned". In contrast, only 39 percent say they are not concerned (28% "not very concerned", 11% "not at all concerned") about Canada being affected by mad cow disease.

• Regionally, Ontarians (73%) are the most concerned while Quйbecers (47%) are the least concerned.
• Women (66%) are much more likely than men (56%) to say they are concerned.
• Older Canadians (66%) are slightly more concerned than middle aged (60%) or younger Canadians (59%).

59% Say Someone in Canada Will Be Infected With the Human Form of Mad Cow Disease

In addition to being concerned about mad cow disease, nearly six in ten (59%) Canadians disagree with the statement "I don't think that anyone in Canada will become infected with the human form of mad cow disease". Almost a quarter (23%) "strongly disagree" while over one-third (36%) "somewhat disagree". A minority, (39%) agree that they don't think anyone in Canada will be infected - 13 percent "strongly agree", 26 percent "somewhat agree".

• Atlantic Canadians (66%), Quйbecers (64%) and British Columbians (63%) are most likely to say that someone will be infected while Albertans (47%) are the least likely to believe that someone will be infected.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900