Animal welfare fourth biggest food concern, survey shows

Animal welfare ranking fourth in the areas of concern listed by the general public in the latest Food Standards Agency (FSA) Biannual Public Attitudes Tracker.

The top four general food issue concerns were:

• The amount of sugar in food (52%)
• Food waste (48%)
• Food prices (46%).
• Animal welfare (43%)

The top food safety issues of concern for respondents were:

• Food hygiene when eating out (36%) 
• Food poisoning (30%)
• Chemicals from the environment, such as lead, in food (29%)
• Food additives (26%).

45% of respondents reported concern about food safety in UK restaurants, pubs, cafes and takeaways, while 42% of respondents reported concern about food safety in UK shops and supermarkets. 

The findings also showed that 44% of respondents trusted that people who produce food have their best interests at heart. The majority of those questioned (75%) that they trusted the food is accurately labelled and 74% trusted the authenticity of the ingredients.

Salmonella and E-coli were by far the most commonly known types of food poisoning (total awareness of 89% and 82% respectively). The perceived most likely sources of food poisoning were raw chicken or turkey (79%), followed by shellfish (54%), reheated take-away food (47%) and eggs (38%).

Nearly adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were interviewed face-to-face in November.