The FDA has an opportunity now to update its recall disclosure policy to provide consumers critical information they need and want to protect themselves during an outbreak. The agency can, and should, begin routinely identifying which retailers and individual store locations sold recalled food. This information will motivate consumers who have shopped in these stores…
Before crisis strikes: Earn consumer trust through transparency
No one is immune from a food safety crisis and its ripple effects on consumers, stakeholders and hard-earned reputations. Maybe you’re fortunate and it’s been smooth sailing so far. But be prepared. A crisis – whether big or small – is in your future and earning trust is critical to successfully managing the fallout.
The…
Consumers want transparency, not just see-through packaging
Consumers are becoming increasingly wary of what they didn’t know about their food; more concerned that food processors might be intentionally hiding things from them. A story published by Forbes in fall 2015 pointed out the dangers of not being upfront. They asked processors that frightening question: “What did you know and when did you…
Detwiler Interview: Food Safety from a Consumer Perspective
Darin Detwiler, adjunct faculty at Northeastern University and Senior Policy Coordinator at STOP Foodborne Illness, sat down with Food Safety News at the 2015 Food Safety Summit in Baltimore, MD, last month to discuss food safety from a consumer perspective.
Detwiler’s son, Riley, was one of four children who died in the 1993 Jack in…
It's Not All About the Science
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2013 edition of Food Safety Magazine. The author has provided a number of references listed at the end of the article. “GMO health risks,”[1] “The sweet lowdown: Exposing the unhealthy truth about sugar,”[2] “Is high-fructose corn syrup bad for you?”[3] and “Chemical cuisine. Learn about food additives”[4]…
Food Safety Top Concern for Canadians
The safety of the food supply is a leading concern for Canadians, according to a survey conducted more than a month after XL Foods recalled 1.5 million pounds of beef products sold in the country for potential E. coli contamination. The XL beef was eventually linked to 18 E. coli O157:H7 illnesses that occurred between…
Survey: Despite Ongoing Outbreaks, Americans See Food Supply as Safe
The continuous drum beat of multistate foodborne illness outbreaks has not done much to shake consumer confidence in the U.S. food supply, according to a new study released this week. The NPD Group, a market research firm, reports that 60 percent of U.S. consumers are only somewhat or slightly concerned about the safety of the…
Survey Shines Spotlight on Perceptions About Food Safety
What you know about food safety and the way you handle and prepare food helps determine how safe you are — or how at risk you are — from coming down with a foodborne illness. With that in mind, the International Food Information Council Foundation has been tracking food-safety practices that different sectors of the…
Majority of Americans Confident in Safety of Food Supply, Survey Finds
The vast majority of Americans have confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply, according to a new survey by the International Food Information Council, a food industry communications group.
The “2012 Food & Health Survey” shows a jump over last year’s confidence numbers, which IFIC found particularly interesting considering the survey was fielded …
McDonald’s Apologizes to Chinese Consumers for Food Safety Violations
Just weeks after launching an advertising campaign focused on food and quality safety in China, McDonalds is under fire for local food safety violations.
State-run China Central Television accused the company of selling chicken wings more than an hour and a half after they were cooked, which is about an hour past the company’s self-imposed …