The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today welcomed findings from a new Eurobarometer* survey on attitudes to food-related risks which revealed that food safety is ranked fourth (11%) behind the economic crisis (20%), environmental pollution (18%) and serious illness (12%) amongst consumers across the EU as potential risks likely to affect them personally. The Irish attitude to food safety is more positive than the European average, with just 6% of consumers here citing food safety as a potential concern. Irish consumers also have more confidence in national and European food safety agencies as sources of information about food risks, with Ireland’s level of confidence at 77% compared to the European average of 64%.

Commissioned by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Eurobarometer survey was carried out on a representative sample of nearly 27,000 individuals, aged 15 or over in all 27 Member States during June, 2010. 

The majority of Member State respondents associated food and eating with pleasure, such as selecting fresh and tasty foods (58%) and with enjoyment of meals with friends and family (54%).  However, Irish consumers took a more pragmatic approach to their perception of food, with 66% associating food with satisfying their hunger.

When asked to prioritise their specific food related concerns from a list of 17 food issues, the survey showed that a geographic divide exists across Member States with regard to what citizens consider as their top concern.

• Ireland, along with Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Malta and the Baltic states opted for quality and freshness of food as their top concern.
• The UK, Sweden and Finland cited “the welfare of farmed animals” as their top priority.
• Twelve Member States - Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, France, Malta, Slovenia, Germany, Belgium and Austria - opted for pesticide residues in fruit, vegetables and cereals as their top concern.
• Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia selected food poisoning from bacteria, such as Salmonella in eggs or Listeria in cheese, as their greatest concern.
• Poland, Romania, Cyprus and the Netherlands cited additives used in food or drinks, or residues, such as antibiotics or hormones, in meat as their top concern.

Commenting on the survey, Prof. Alan Reilly, Chief Executive, FSAI said that it was pleasing to see that Irish consumers have a more positive attitude towards food safety in Ireland than their European neighbours.  “This hopefully reflects the strong system of food safety best practice in place designed to protect our consumers.” 

*The full results of the Eurobarometer survey can be found here www.efsa.europa.eu