Countries differ on perceptions of food safety

An international consumer survey conducted by research institute Odoxa and funded by Mérieux NutriSciences and bioMérieux examined consumer perception and behaviors towards food safety in four countries: United States, China, France, and India. Even if food safety seems to be a growing concern for these four countries, the results highlight different perceptions and expectations from one country to another.

When it comes to food safety, 96% of respondents in China declared that they are confident in the food they consume, 93% in India, and 90% in the United States. In France, however, only 65% declared to be confident in the food they consume. More than half (52%) of French people interviewed claim they feel not enough informed about the safety of the food they consume. Consumers in the other three countries feel a little better with 86% of Indians, 80% of Americans, and 77% of Chinese stating they feel well informed about this topic.

Among the six criteria used in the survey (presence of chemicals in food, food fraud, presence of bacteria, use of new technologies, presence of viruses, traces of allergens), Americans (64%) are, on average, less worried than French (78%), Indians (81%), and particularly Chinese (89%).

In terms of behavior, the best before date is the most important criteria in India (68%) and in the United States (61%). The best before date is considered a guarantee only for 33% of the French, focusing mainly on the origin, the traceability (71%), the composition of the product (63%), and the existence of quality labels (41%).

The brand of the product is not considered as an important guarantee of food safety in France (11%) but was more important in China (42%) and India (43%). Another major difference between these countries is that the origin and the traceability of the product is the number one criterion in France, number three in China, but is not even listed in the top three in India or the United States.

Press release