News

Consumers lack confidence in Australasian food labelling and ‘fake’ meat

5 Jul 2024

Australian and New Zealand consumers are concerned about foodborne illnesses and do not trust cell-cultured meat, according to a survey by Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ).

In its first Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT) survey, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) surveyed more than 2000 Australian and New Zealand consumers to assess their trust in and understanding of the shared food regulation system.

“Australia and New Zealand have excellent food safety systems underpinned by rigorous, evidence-based regulatory frameworks that include strong legislation, risk-based standards and positive food safety culture in food businesses,” a FSANZ spokesperson told Ingredients Network.

Uncovering findings from both countries, FSANZ found that consumers rank nutrition higher than food values like convenience, naturalness, and provenance. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Australian and New Zealand consumers actively put effort into maintaining a healthy diet, while 41% said weight management influences their food choices.

Consumers want food labels to help them identify nutritious foods and make good dietary choices. Several key findings in the Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT) relate to how food producers and manufacturers make and prepare food. Enhancing awareness and managing allergens throughout business production systems is a key action manufacturers could take to respond to these findings.

Most consumers are confident in food systems

“Knowing more about food safety organisations can help maintain consumer confidence in our safe food supply,” a spokesperson for FSANZ told Ingredients Network. The idea is that consumers who are more engaged with food systems, including production and regulatory systems, will be more informed about good food handling, food safety and safety incidents such as recalls and emerging issues.

Food system knowledge and trust are closely linked. “People who know more about it tend to have higher trust in the system,” the FSANZ spokesperson adds. The CIT survey found that overall, 72% of Australians and New Zealanders have confidence in the region’s food supply safety.

Those who trusted the people involved in the region’s food system—which includes farmers and producers, food manufacturers and processors, government food authorities, retailers, and food scientists—were more likely to be confident in the safety of the food supply. Farmers and food producers are the most trusted sector in the food system, with 83% of consumers saying they trusted these industry players.

Increasing food safety awareness

“Foodborne illness was a key concern of consumers and was the most common food safety issue identified,” says the FSANZ spokesperson. More than half of those asked (59%) said foodborne illness was their main food safety concern.

Consumers reported relatively high levels of engagement in the food safety behaviours measured in the survey. However, they were significantly more likely to engage in food safety behaviours concerning raw animal products than general hygiene. “This may indicate that consumers perceive raw animal products as being most risky from the perspective of foodborne illness,” adds FSANZ’s spokesperson.

“Despite this, there is also evidence of some inaccuracies in consumer perceptions of food safety risks,” says the spokesperson. The survey’s results found consumers generally did not perceive eggs as one of the riskiest foods even though they are considered one of the most common sources of foodborne illness.

Most consumers would not be confident in the safety of cell-based meat if it became available for sale in Australia and New Zealand, with 62% of consumers agreeing with this statement. According to the survey, less than a quarter (24%) of respondents said they would eat cell-based meat. Yet, a further 29% said they were unsure, indicating they may be willing to try cell-based meat.

Accurate and accessible labelling

Taste and price were the leading factors influencing consumers’ food purchasing decisions. Nutrition was the top choice for 75% of consumers, while naturalness came in next at 49%, and convenience followed at 45%.

In Australia and New Zealand, foods adopt a variety of labels that include the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP), ingredients list, nutrient or ingredient claims and the health star rating. Consumers identified these as the most crucial label elements when making decisions about food.

However, these were different from the top most trusted food label elements. The survey found that 71% of consumers trusted the NIP and allergen information, while 70% of consumers trusted ingredient lists and date marketing.

The Health Star Rating label or nutrient and ingredient claims did not make the top most trusted food label elements. Trusted by just over half of consumers (55% and 53%, respectively), Health Star Rating or nutrient and ingredient claims were among the least trusted food labels.

Build trust by sharing accurate information

“Many consumers seek to better understand nutritional attributes, and manufacturers can ensure simple and truthful ways to share this information,” says FSANZ spokesperson. For instance, the CIT found that many consumers have a food allergy or intolerance affecting their dietary choices.

Almost three-quarters (70%) of consumers trust mandatory back-of-pack food labelling like the NIP and ingredients list more than front-of-pack, with trust in different food actors predicting levels of trust in each. They have less trust in voluntary front-of-pack labelling, such as claims about health benefits, with less than half of consumers (40%) trusting these voluntary labels.

“Sugar content was the most referred to part of the NIP when buying packaged food or drink for the first time,” says FSANZ’s spokesperson. Whether products are high in sugar, have reduced quantities of sugar or are sugar-free formulations, brands need to provide simple and clear information on sugar content. Transparent communication between brand and consumer is vital.

“Product labels were the preferred source of information on how to store and prepare food safely,” adds FSANZ spokesperson.