Food safety and security are top global issues for consumers, survey shows

A new global study commissioned by the Chinese-based Mars Global Food Safety Centre (GSFC) finds that consumers believe food safety and security is a top global issue.

The study, which surveyed more than 1,750 people in the US, UK and China, found that 52% of respondents feel that food safety is a top three global issue – 77% think it’s a top 10 global issue.

According to Mars, food insecurity has been worsened by COVID-19. For example, 73% of respondents believe the novel coronavirus will impact the viability of the global supply chain and 71% believe it will have impact on global access to food.  

The findings also show, that these consumers think about food safety and security just as much as climate change (39%) and pollution (38%).

David Crean, Mars Chief Science Officer and Vice President of Corporate R&D said: “New food safety threats, like those posed by COVID-19, are constantly emerging through a combination of factors including global warming, increased globalisation of trade, as well as changes in agriculture practices and food production. We believe everyone has a right to safe food and it’s also our responsibility to share our knowledge (82% of survey respondents expressed their desire to learn more), expertise and tools to enable safe food for all.”

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Mars Global Food Safety Centre, a state-of-the-art research and training facility based in Beijing that’s designed to tackle the most significant food safety challenges facing the planet today.