3-31 news: Consumer confidence in supermarkets slipping
“I believe that consumers’ slipping confidence in the safety of supermarket food is less about food safety and more about supermarkets expanding foodservice operations and offering more prepared, ready-to-eat foods,” says Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and vice president at NPD, which conducts extensive food industry research. “More food handling issues and concerns come into play when foods are prepared for you. Consumers are now extending the concerns they have about the safety of foods served at restaurants to supermarkets.”
According to the NPD Food Safety Monitor, the percentage of consumers who feel that foods served at restaurants are safe has remained, on average, between 48 and 49 percent since 2004. “Consumers are more concerned about the safety of food served in restaurants than food available from supermarkets, about a 15 percentage point difference,” says Balzer. “However, feelings about food safety in restaurants have remained relatively unchanged whereas the number of consumers who feel confident in the safety of foods in supermarkets is declining.”