The survey was carried out in 28 EU member states in April 2019. Some 27,655 respondents from different social and demographic groups were interviewed face-to-face at home in their mother tongue.
The key findings were:
Important factors when buying food
- The most important factors for Europeans when buying food are where the food comes from (53%), cost (51%), food safety (50%) and taste (49%). Nutrient content is considered slightly less important (44%), while ethics and beliefs (eg considerations of animal welfare, environmental concerns or religion) rank lowest in importance (19%).
- In 12 of the 28 Member States, cost was identified most frequently among factors influencing the choice of food.
- Overall, 41% of respondents say that they are ‘personally interested in the topic of food safety’.
Source of information
- More than two thirds of Europeans (69%) say that television is among their main sources of information about food risks. This is followed by the Internet (excluding social media) (46%), newspapers and magazines (38%) and family, friends and neighbours (37%).
Consumption behaviour
- Two thirds of respondents (66%) say that they have changed their consumption behaviour as a result of information that they have heard or read about a food risk; specifically, 33% made a permanent change and 33% changed their behaviour for a while.
- Changes in consumption behaviour are more common among women, those in the middle age bands, and those with higher levels of education.
- Just over a third of respondents (36%) believe that ‘food safety information is often highly technical and complex’.
Level of awareness of food safety topics
- By calculating an index of the overall level of awareness of food safety topics, the majority of respondents (55%) have a high level of awareness (i.e. they have heard about at least 8 of the 15 topics listed).
- Respondents are most likely to be concerned about antibiotic, hormone or steroid residues in meat (44%), followed by pesticide residues in food (39%), environmental pollutants in fish, meat or dairy (37%) and additives like colours, preservatives or flavourings used in food or drinks (36%).
- Less than half of Europeans (43%) think that food products are full of harmful substances.
Who’s trusted
- Europeans are most likely to say that they trust scientists (82%) and consumer organisations (79%) for information on food-related risks, followed by farmers (69%), national authorities (60%), EU institutions (58%), NGOs (56%) and journalists (50%).
- A minority of respondents say they trust supermarkets and restaurants (43%), food industries (36%) and celebrities, bloggers and influencers (19%). There is limited awareness of how the EU food safety system works
Awareness
- Just over two in five respondents (43%) say that ‘there are regulations in place to make sure that the food you eat is safe’.
- Three in ten (28%) know that ‘to decide how risky something could be for you to eat, the EU relies on scientists to give expert advice’.
- One in five (19%) knows that ‘the EU has a separate institution that provides scientific advice on the safety of food’.
