Consumers' Knowledge, Opinions, and Attitudes Toward Safety in Selected Food Items: A Preliminary Summary Report

Excerpts from the report: Federal and State inspection laws have been designed to assure the consumer that meat and poultry products are wholesome and properly labeled, thus helping to guard against foodborne illness caused by bacteria or insanitary processing. Nevertheless, the incidence of foodborne illness continues to be of great concern. A sizable proportion of the reported cases of foodborne illnesses has been traced to foods prepared or eaten in the home. At present, insanitary food handling practices are among the weakest links in the chain of food protection in the United States. Interest generated by Congress, public health services, and other concerned groups has resulted in an intensified effort to plan consumer education programs. To facilitate them, a survey to evaluate consumer awareness of and attitudes toward food safety practices in the home was deemed necessary to provide essential guides for planning. Similarly, such a study should aid in identifying those groups of people having the greatest need for food safety information. Data for this preliminary report were collected during June and July 1974 from 2,197 respondents throughout the continental United States. This preliminary report focuses primarily on respondents' behavior and attitudes toward food safety practices as they relate to salmonellosis, one of the leading communicable disease problems of bacterial origin in the United States.