Confidence in government’s ability to ensure food safety at record low: Gallup

The American public’s confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply is at a record low, according to a Gallup poll released Friday. 

The survey found that approximately 57 percent of respondents now have a “fair amount” or a “great deal” of confidence in the federal government’s ability to keep the food supply safe, representing an 11-point downturn from 2019.

Less than 1 in 3 Americans questioned for the new poll — 28 percent — said they did not have much confidence in the government’s ability to guarantee food safety, while 14 percent said they had “none at all.”

When broken down by party, Republicans’ trust in the federal government’s ability dropped the most since 2019. Independents lost confidence too, however, while it jumped among Democrats.

Approximately 50 percent of Republicans surveyed earlier this year stated they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust regarding the issue, representing a 27-point drop since 2019. About 52 percent of independents said the same this year, an 11-point drop since 2019. In 2019, 65 percent of Democrats surveyed trusted the government’s ability, but the percentage rose to 74 percent in the poll released Friday.

Additionally, Americans’ confidence regarding food safety in grocery store foods are safe to eat has also dipped since 2019. Gallup found 72 percent of respondents said in the new survey that they were somewhat or very confident, a near double-digit downturn from 81 percent in 2019.

The lowered levels of trust related to food safety in grocery stores were present among all political factions. It slipped the most among Republicans, going from 87 percent in 2019 to 73 percent this year. It slid by double digits among independents, from 73 percent to 66 percent, and slightly among Democrats, from 82 percent to 80 percent.

“The FDA acknowledges the feedback presented in the Gallup poll results and will consider it as we move forward with the reorganization of the Human Foods Program, which is being undertaken to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our work,” an FDA spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.

“In general, the FDA does not comment on specific studies, but evaluates them as part of the body of evidence to further our understanding about a particular issue and assist in our mission to protect public health,” the spokesperson wrote.

The statement added that the agency believes food “should be a vehicle for wellness and takes its responsibility seriously to help ensure the foods we eat are safe.”  

“As we continue to work towards building more robust food safety systems, it is the agency’s hope that we also continue building consumer confidence in the U.S. food supply,” the spokesperson said.

“Consumer access to safe foods comes first,’ they continued. “Our ability to continue to keep our food supply safe and properly labeled means evolving our existing Human Foods Program to adapt with the ever-changing and complex industries we regulate and the emergence of new food science technologies.” 

The poll released Friday was conducted July 1-21 among 1,010 adults. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.