Consumer Reports food-labeling poll reveals safety concerns

While the majority of Americans regard the overall food supply as safe, nearly half say their confidence in the safety of the nation’s food supply has decreased, and many are concerned with the safety of imported food, according to a Consumer Reports poll released today.

The loopholes in “country of origin labeling” (COOL) is among the safety concerns. An overwhelming majority of Americans want specialty meat and fish stores to label their products by country of origin. Meat and poultry sold in butcher shops and fish sold in fish markets—some 11% percent of all meat and fish—are currently exempt from COOL. Ninety-five percent of consumers polled believe that processed or packaged food should be labeled by their country of origin and that COOL for products should always be available at point of purchase.

Read our recent blog and advice on COOL, and for more on the national food safety and labeling poll results (PDF), visit GreenerChoices.org.