Food Safety, Additives or Diseases

Consumer Reports examines the public's perception of and confidence in the U.S. food system. The specific issues addressed includes consumer attitudes toward country of origin labeling and "naturally raised" meat, as well as genetically engineered and cloned animals.

This Ipsos/McClatchy survey found that 54% of U.S. adults rate the level of food safety in the United States as an "A" or "B," although 28% feel that food safety has gotten worse in the six months preceding the survey.

An opinion poll conducted at a European poultry technical seminar found that nearly a third of nutritionists, veterinarians, and other industry experts believe that the European Union (EU) program to reduce salmonella contamination in eggs and poultry flocks will put the competitiveness of EU poultry producers at risk.

A study conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people who ate wild game killed with lead bullets appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or no wild game.

U.S. consumers are losing confidence in the food industry’s handling of farmed animals, according to a new survey conducted by the Center for Food Integrity. Relative to last year, consumers are now more likely to disagree with the statement, "U.S. meat is derived from humanely treated animals." Consumers tend to agree with the statement, "I would support a law in my state to ensure the humane treatment of farm animals."

Business consulting firm Deloitte's survey of U.S. consumers found that, to improve their buying decisions, consumers want their foods to clearly display key information (including the food's country of origin), even if this means additional cost to the consumer.

Dutch supermarket chains, Aldi and Lidl announced that they will only sell meat from pigs which have not been castrated due campaigns by animal welfare groups. An estimated three million piglets are castrated each year in the Netherlands.

A new study conducted in England has found that nearly all of the campylobacteriosis cases in the patients evaluated were caused by bacteria in animals farmed for meat, in particular chicken and cattle. In the European Union, 175,000 people suffered from campylobacter in 2006, while in the U.S. the number is estimated at 2-3 million annually.

Oxford University researchers found that people who adopt a vegan or vegetarian diet are six times more likely to sustain brain shrinkage than meat eaters due to the former's lack of vitamin B-12, which is found in meat, fish, and dairy products including cheese.

The Pew Charitable Trusts issued a supportive statement in response to South Korea's decision to ban seven types of antibiotics in animal feed.