Consumers' understanding of food recalls: Results from the FDA/FSIS 2010 Food Safety Survey

The number of high profile food recalls in the United States has risen in recent years. Consumers are increasingly being asked to take an active role in the recalls by searching for and discarding any recalled food products they may have purchased. In order to explore consumer understanding of food recalls, FDA included a series of questions about knowledge and experience with food recalls on the 2010 Food Safety Survey. Data were collected from December 2009 through February 2010. The Food Safety Survey is a nationally representative telephone survey tracking consumers' attitudes and behaviors related to food safety. The questions examined consumers' awareness of food recalls, their knowledge of the most recent food recall they remembered and their behaviors during that food recall. These questions were developed based on the findings from a series of eight focus groups conducted prior to the 2010 Food Safety Survey. The focus groups suggested that: 1) Respondents were aware of highly publicized food recalls including spinach, tomatoes, and peanut products; 2) Personal responses to food recalls varied from throwing away recalled food to assuming that a product opened and partially eaten prior to a recall is safe to eat; 3) Most respondents were unaware when a food recall is over and the product is safe to eat again; and 4) Many, but not all participants, perceived organic and locally grown foods to be safer and less likely to be involved in a recall than conventionally grown foods.