Food safety remains a leading consumer concern regarding the meat and poultry products they eat, according to a recent study, with 61.3% citing concerns that raw meat and poultry can contain harmful bacteria.

That study -- 2025 Food Safety Survey by Stampede Culinary Partners – also suggests a degree of consumer self-awareness of their own role in ensuring food safety, with more than 40% of survey respondents identifying cross-contamination as a significant risk and 20% citing mishandling of raw product as a concern. Close to half (44.85%) expressed concern about inadequate cooking temperatures leaving dangerous bacteria.

Among the consumer concerns on meat and poultry safety noted in the survey:

• Awareness gap: Only 5% of consumers strongly trust government oversight for meat safety, suggesting room for improvement in communicating regulatory effectiveness.
• Generational differences: Younger consumers (Gen Z and Millennials) show higher anxiety about foodborne illnesses compared to older generations, likely driven by higher exposure to digital news and social media reporting.
• Prepared vs. raw products: Consumers perceive pre-cooked or fully cooked meats as significantly safer, which presents an opportunity for growth in ready-to-eat and fully-cooked product lines.

While few survey respondents (5.14%) expressed concerns about meat and poultry safety related to news reports about recalls, consumers do relate food safety to source transparency -- with 39.68% saying they prefer knowing the product originates from reputable suppliers or farms.

“Bacterial contamination that can cause foodborne illnesses is a concern whether preparing products at home or going out at the restaurant,” said Adam Miller, vice president of food safety and quality assurance at Stampede Culinary Partners.  “As consumers hear about foodborne illnesses in the news and through social media at some of the most popular restaurants or with recognizable brands, they look for assurances that the food they buy at the store or pick up at restaurant has been handled, processed and prepared properly to prevent and avoid them from becoming ill.”

Pre-portioned, marinated, and/or fully cooked products can deliver consistency of eating experience for the consumer while reducing preparation steps and complexity, whether in a busy restaurant kitchen or a consumer’s home.  

Allergens also are high on consumers’ list of safety concerns, Miller said. “Making sure they know what is in their favorite food they eat and what they feed their children is very important to prevent any adverse reactions while eating. This is why proper product labeling and full transparency of what is in the product and where the product originated from is important for the processor and the consumer more now than ever.  

Food safety training 

Stampede Culinary Partners’ consumer research finds 41.1% of respondents saying proper food safety training for employees significantly boosts their confidence in meat and poultry products’ safety.

"The key to impactful food safety training is to develop a culture of positive reinforcement, shared responsibility, and using firsthand experiences while emphasizing both the importance of certifications and real-life consequences,” Miller said. “Conducting hands-on training, with interactive exercises, and real-life situations helps to make safety protocols easier to understand and more memorable, which in turn improves the likelihood of the staff retaining the information learned."

Incorporating visuals and demonstrations to show both the incorrect and correct techniques for handling and preparing meat and poultry helps reinforce training, he said.

Automation and food safety

Every time workers are involved in touching a product, potential sanitation issues exist.

“Each touch introduces possible contamination,” said Barry Whitman, director of business development for Grote Co. “If you automate, you can remove, or at least lessen, that potential.”

Automation impacts food safety, especially for ready-to-eat or shelf-stable products that don’t have a bacteria kill step, such as raw meat that will be cooked to eliminate bacteria, Whitman said.

Shane Peterson, key accounts manager for PFI, part of the Grote Co. family of brands, said, “The more complex the system in use, the more parts there are – and that can make the equipment more difficult to clean and sanitize, which creates a larger window of opportunity for foreign material like bacteria to become involved.”

He said care must be taken when disassembling and reassembling conveyors and other equipment, and all components must be meticulously cleaned and sanitized. If the meat and poultry products are raw versus packaged, that makes this step even more vital.

“Automation increases traceability,” said Tom Wright: general manager, SPI Automation, part of the Grote Co. family of brands. “So, as data is gathered along the line – data can be gathered from every piece of equipment in the plant during each part of the process – it can be incorporated into an operations report, if the right controls are in place. That way, if a recall does need to happen, you can trace it down to which batch the contaminated product came from.”