Food and You 2 trends: Chapter 1: Food you can trust

Introduction

The FSA’s overarching mission is ‘food you can trust’. The FSA’s vision is a food system in which:

• food is safe
• food is what it says it is
• food is healthier and more sustainable

This chapter provides an overview of respondents’ awareness of and trust in the FSA, as well as their confidence in food safety and the food supply chain between Wave 1 (July 2020 to October 2020) and Wave 8 (October 2023 to January 2024).

Confidence in food safety and authenticity

Although there has been some variation between waves, consumer confidence in food safety has generally remained high, with around 9 in 10 respondents reporting that they were confident (i.e., very confident or fairly confident) that the food they buy is safe to eat across all waves. A small decline in confidence that food is safe to eat was observed in Wave 3 (90%), Wave 7 (88%) and Wave 8 (90%) compared to other waves** (Figure 1). 

Consumer confidence in food authenticity has also remained relatively high, with over 8 in 10 respondents reporting that they were confident that the information on food labels is accurate across all waves ^{(footnote 1)}. Similar to food safety, a notable decline in confidence that the information on food labels is accurate was observed in Wave 3 (83%), Wave 7 (83%) and Wave 8 (82%) compared to other waves** (Figure 1).

Food and You 2: Wave 1-8

Confidence in the food supply chain

Across most waves, around three quarters of respondents reported confidence in the food supply chain ^{(footnote 2)}. However, there was a notable decline in confidence in the food supply chain in Wave 3 (73%), Wave 7 (68%) and Wave 8 (72%) compared to other waves** (Figure 2).

Food and You 2: Wave 1-8

Respondents were asked how confident they are that different food supply chain actors ensure the food they buy is safe to eat ^{(footnote 3)}. Following a period of stability between Wave 1 (July 2020 to October 2020) and Wave 6 (October 2022 to January 2023) there was a notable decline in confidence in all food production and manufacturing actors between Wave 6 and Wave 7 (April 2023 to July 2023) including farmers (88% to 84%), manufacturers (82% to 75%), and slaughterhouses and dairies (78% to 73%). Confidence was consistently highest in farmers with around 9 in 10 feeling confident that farmers ensure food is safe across all waves (Figure 3). 

Food and You 2: Wave 1-4, 6-7

There has been some variation in confidence in retail and service sector actors over time, with confidence being highest in Wave 2 (November 2020 to January 2021) and lowest in Wave 7 (April 2023 to July 2023) ^{(footnote 4)}. Across all waves confidence was highest in shops and supermarkets (81% - 87%) and lowest in food delivery services (39% - 52%) (Figure 4).

Food and You 2: Wave 1-4, 6-7

Awareness, trust, and confidence in the FSA

There has been a gradual decline in confidence in the FSA (or the government agency responsible for food safety) between Wave 2 (November 2020 to January 2021) and Wave 8 (October 2023 to January 2024) ** although confidence remains relatively high across all waves ^{(footnote 5)}  (Figure 5). For instance: 

• The percentage of respondents who reported being confident that the FSA can be relied upon to protect the public from food-related risks (such as food poisoning or allergic reactions from food) decreased from 84% in Wave 2 to 79% in Wave 8.
• The percentage of respondents who reported being confident that the FSA is committed to communicating openly with the public about food-related risks decreased from 79% in Wave 2 to 72% in Wave 8. 
• The percentage of respondents who reported being confident that the FSA takes appropriate action if a food-related risk is identified decreased from 84% in Wave 2 to 78% in Wave 8.

Food and You 2: Wave 2-8

Trust in the FSA amongst those who have at least some knowledge of the FSA was broadly stable, with some variation**, between Wave 1 and Wave 6, with around three-quarters of respondents reporting that they trust the FSA to do its job. There was a notable decline in trust in Wave 7 (69%) (April 2023 to July 2023) with a corresponding increase in the percentage who reported that they ‘neither trust nor distrust’ the FSA (from 19% to 27%)**. In Wave 8, trust remained slightly below three-quarters of respondents (72%). Across all waves, distrust in the FSA has remained low (1-2%) (Figure 6) ^{(footnote 6)}.

Food and You 2: Wave 1-8