CIDRAP-As American confidence in food safety plunges to record low, 2 outbreaks spotlighted

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As American confidence in food safety plunges to record low, 2 outbreaks spotlighted

www.cidrap.umn.edu

As American confidence in food safety plunges to record low, 2 outbreaks spotlighted​

Mary Van Beusekom, MS

Today at 4:20 p.m.
Foodborne Disease


As Americans’ confidence in the safety of food sold at grocery stores drops to its lowest recorded level, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated investigations into two outbreaks of foodborne illness.

Trust in restaurant food even lower​

A new Gallup poll finds that the proportion of Americans saying they are very or somewhat confident that the food sold at most supermarkets is safe has fallen to 65%, down from 73% in 2025 and 81% in 2024.

“The overall 16-percentage-point decline in confidence since 2019 reflects decreases in both the ‘very confident’ group, from 31% to 23%, and the ‘somewhat confident’ group, from 50% to 42%,” Gallup said yesterday in a news release.

Over the same period, the share of respondents who said they are not too confident or not at all confident has climbed from 18% to 34%.

And Americans don’t have any more trust in restaurant foods than in those sold at grocery stores, with 20% saying they are very confident and 46% somewhat confident that restaurant food is safe to eat. This was the first year that consumer confidence in restaurant food was measured.

The overall 16-percentage-point decline in confidence since 2019 reflects decreases in both the ‘very confident’ group, from 31% to 23%, and the ‘somewhat confident’ group, from 50% to 42%.

“This year’s survey was conducted as a major U.S. cyclospora outbreak that began in June started to wane and officially ended on Sept. 11,” the release said. “Likewise, the 2024 reading came amid numerous food recalls and serious illnesses linked to contaminated produce and other foods.”

But this was not the first time that foodborne illness outbreaks have coincided with lower confidence in the government to ensure food safety. “From 1999 to 2006, between 76% and 85% of Americans were confident in the federal government,” Gallup said. “In 2007 and 2008, spanning several E. coli and salmonella outbreaks, confidence in food safety was 71%. It has not reached 70% in any reading since.”

Nearly half say they have tossed, returned food product​

Respondents are also equivocal on the US government’s trustworthiness. Less than half (47%) of US adults have a great deal (11%) or a fair amount (36%) of confidence in the government’s ability to ensure food safety—a record low.

That is a decrease from 53% last year and 68% in 2019, and well below the 2004 high of 85%. For the first time, most Americans have not much (32%) or no confidence at all (21%) that officials are guarding against foodborne illness.

The poll also asked respondents about which, if any, actions they took in response to a food advisory or recall in the past year. Seventy-three percent of adults say they have avoided buying certain types or brands of food, up from 53% in 2024. For comparison, 62% and 60% said they avoided certain foods in 2007 and 2008, when significant food safety issues made the news.

Also, 45% of Americans say they have discarded or returned a food product to the store, an increase from 37% in 2024 and 40% in 2007. Similarly, 42% say they have worried that a food they ate may have been contaminated, up from 26% in 2024.

Views on food safety also vary by political party, with Democrats' confidence that grocery store food is safe dropping 14 points, to 66%, while Republicans' has risen nine points, to 77%. Independents' trust has fallen 10 points, to 60%.

Chicken wraps tied to​

In a new update, the FDA said it has traced the cause of a 38-case outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to tainted ready-to-eat chicken wraps, which were recalled before the link to infections was confirmed.

Along with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA is “continuing to investigate the source of the outbreak, including possible ingredient level contamination. If it is determined that there is still an ongoing risk to the public and actions can be taken to protect consumers, the agencies will issue an advisory.”

The notice didn’t name the wrap producer or give any other details.

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Meanwhile, a six-state outbreak of Salmonella Bovismorbificans tied to contaminated broccoli sprout seeds, Gardeners Basics of Spanish Fork, Utah, has initiated a product recall, the FDA said today.

As part of this investigation, FDA collected and analyzed a sample of seeds from the seed supplier identified in the investigation.

The company is removing one-pound bags of the seeds after 32 cases of the foodborne illness were linked to broccoli sprouts and microgreens grown from a contaminated seed lot. “As part of this investigation, FDA collected and analyzed a sample of seeds from the seed supplier identified in the investigation,” which tested positive. Three people were hospitalized, but no deaths were reported.

The Waltham 29 Broccoli Sprouting Seeds were sold nationwide direct to customers and by Amazon, the Tik Tok Shop, Walmart, eBay, and Etsy. This outbreak is separate from the Salmonella and Shiga toxin–producing E coli outbreak related to alfalfa sprouts.