Most Americans trust food inspections less
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded on Ipsos' Omnibus platform, asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked about food inspections and safety: In a previous wave, we asked about contaminated lettuce that was the alleged culprit of a really unpleasant outbreak of a food-borne illness called cyclosporiasis. Since then, well, things have not gotten better. The list of food actively making Americans sick has grown to include eggs, pork, jalapenos, blueberries, rice, fruit bars, soups, pistachio nut butter, mini chocolate dipped donuts, and, and, and… So we broadened the question and asked a separate question about trust in food inspectors.
What we found: Only 39% of Americans say they trust food inspectors. And the recalls seem to have taken a toll. People are six times as likely to say they trust inspectors less in the wake of the recalls (54%) than to say they trust them more (just 9%), with Republicans most likely to say their trust has dropped.
And while we can’t directly compare our food-buying behaviors question (because the previous one had a screener), it’s worth noting that only 23% of Americans say they haven’t changed any of their behaviors due to all the recalls. The good news is that almost half of people are making sure to wash their produce at home (hopefully the rest already were?). But the 27% who are buying less fresh produce at the store and the 30% who are buying more locally sourced foods are interesting signals to keep an eye on.
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
Most younger Americans consider ‘cost per wear’ as a metric for apparel purchases
One in three Americans have talked to a chatbot instead of their doctor
Most Americans now understand how tariffs work; More see the costs, fewer see the benefits
Fewer think having armed federal agents in their community make them feel safer
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?
