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Consumers to manufacturers: You can do better on food safety
Story Date: 2/9/2012
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 2/8/12
In a new global study from UL (Underwriters Laboratories), food manufacturers identified product safety as a top business priority, but most consumers believe food manufacturers can do even better to earn their confidence.
The new study, "Navigating the Product Mindset," explores the connections and contradictions between perceptions of consumers and food manufacturers on issues of safety, innovation, performance and sustainability. Global perceptions were collected from consumers and manufacturers in China, India, Germany and the U.S., across industries in high tech, food, building materials and household chemicals.
"Food manufacturers understand that product safety is imperative to the success of their business, but a significant opportunity remains to better demonstrate and communicate their commitment to boost consumer confidence," said Hank Lambert, general manager of UL's Global Food and Water Businesses. "This research demonstrates the importance of moving existing food safety management to the next level."
Specific findings include:
Only 2 percent of food manufacturers feel their company is behind the curve in product safety, yet 70 percent of consumers do not think fresh food manufacturers conduct thorough testing before introducing new products to the market. More than three-quarters of consumers surveyed feel that processed food manufacturers are not making better products today than five years ago.Even with manufacturers' focus on product safety, 76 percent of consumers find it difficult to locate product safety information about fresh food products. Half of all food manufacturers agree that a direct relationship exists between product quality and country of origin and 50 percent of consumers across all geographies surveyed said they are always or usually aware of the country of origin for food products.
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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