New survey reveals consumer attitudes to food safety in Australia and New Zealand

Published 29 May 2024

A new survey has found consumers rate nutrition above other food values such as naturalness, convenience and country of origin, with almost three-quarters of Australian and New Zealand consumers putting effort into maintaining a healthy diet. 

The first Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT) survey run by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has revealed consumers look for food labels that can help them identify nutritious foods and make good dietary choices.  

FSANZ surveyed more than 2000 Australian and New Zealand consumers to understand their trust in, and understanding of, the shared food regulation system covering both countries.

Results from the 2023 CIT have just been released, with key findings including:

  • 72% of people have confidence in the safety of the food supply, with farmers and food producers the most trusted sector in the food system (83% trust)
  • 70% of people trust mandatory back-of-pack food labelling like the nutrition information panel and ingredients list, but have less trust in voluntary front-of-pack labelling such as claims about health benefits (40% trust) 
  • 73% of consumers reported putting effort into maintaining a healthy diet, with people looking for food labels that can help identify nutritious food
  • 59% of consumers nominated foodborne illness as their key food safety concern.

FSANZ CEO Dr Sandra Cuthbert said the bi-national standards agency was committed to building trust and confidence in the food supply and would run the CIT every year to track consumer attitudes to food safety over time.

“Public confidence in the food supply is critical to supporting good public health and economic outcomes in Australia and New Zealand while delivering broader social and cultural benefits,” Dr Cuthbert said.

“FSANZ sets the standards for safe food and works with public health, government, academic and industry partners in both countries to keep the food supply safe, so it’s important for us to understand what consumers want and need from the bi-national food regulation system.

“The CIT will give FSANZ and our partners valuable insights into consumer attitudes, understanding and trust in food labelling and regulation to help inform our work and monitor changes over time.”

The CIT survey asked 42 quantitative questions across domains including:

  • Trust and confidence in the food supply and FSANZ
  • Health and dietary behaviours
  • Use, understanding and trust in food labelling
  • Food safety knowledge and concerns
  • New and emerging foods and food technologies
  • Demographics  

The survey includes core questions that will be repeated annually to collect trend data, alongside questions to provide point-in-time data on current food safety topics and issues.

The 2023 CIT report is available on the FSANZ website.

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