European Union - EU citizens have the pleasures of food in mind, not the risks associated with it

According to Eurobarometer results, when it comes to food, EU citizens have the pleasures of food in mind, not the risks associated with it.

Among the main findings of this study, promoted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and carried out among almost 27.000 citizens, the association the Europeans make between food and pleasure stands out, be it because they think of fresh and tasty products (58%), or in enjoying a meal with friends and family (54%). On the other hand, only 37% showed concern about food safety or nutrition.

When confronted with possible food risks that could affect them, most said they were more concerned with the economic crisis or pollution, than with food safety. Actually, a large part of those surveyed did not show any spontaneous concern for food related risks, and one of every 10 responded that they had no problem at all with those risks.
However, when specifically asked, they assured they were “very concerned” about pesticide residues in fruits, vegetables or cereals (31%); about antibiotic residues or hormones in meat (30%); about cloning animals for food (30%), and about the presence of contaminants, like mercury in fish, or dioxins in pork (29%).