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EU citizens have high food safety awareness but cost guides purchasing

EFSA’s 2025 Special Eurobarometer report on food safety shows shifting concerns, with cost remaining the primary factor influencing food purchasing decisions.

Although 72% of EU citizens said they were personally interested in food safety, 60% selected price as their top purchasing priority, the survey, conducted by Eurobarometer for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) across March and April 2025, found.

This was followed by taste (51%) and food safety (46%). Food origin and nutrient content were next, while environmental impact (15%) and ethical considerations (14%) were among the least cited factors.

Food safety was the most important consideration in just two EU member states, Italy (55%) and Romania (51%).

In 20 of the 27 EU countries surveyed, cost was the overriding concern. This was particularly pronounced in Latvia, Czechia, and Cyprus, where over 70% of respondents prioritised price.

The poll, for which more than 26,000 EU citizens were interviewed, follows similar surveys in 2010, 2019, and 2022.

Chemical risks and microplastics raise concern

When asked about risks associated with food and eating, 28% of respondents cited concerns related to chemical contaminants, including pesticides and heavy metals.

This was followed by worries about additives (17%), freshness and quality (14%), rising prices (12%), and health effects (12%).

When shown a list of food safety topics they recognised, 39% of respondents said they were most concerned about pesticide residues in food. This was followed by antibiotic, hormone, or steroid residues in meat (36%), and additives (35%).

Concerns about microplastics in food rose to 33%, up four percentage points since 2022, placing it above foodborne pathogens such as bacteria or viruses (32%).

Microplastics ranked as the top concern in six countries, including Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands. In contrast, genome editing and nanotechnology were cited by just 9% and 6% of respondents, respectively.

Food safety awareness levels increasing

Almost half of all respondents demonstrated high or very high awareness of food safety issues. As many as 28% had heard of at least 13 of the 15 topics listed, while a further 18% were aware of 10 to 12 topics.

The most recognised food safety issues were additives (71%), pesticide residues (67%), and animal diseases (65%). Awareness of microplastics rose eight percentage points since 2022 to reach 63%. Fewer respondents reported familiarity with poisonous moulds (44%), genome editing (37%), or nanotechnology (30%).

Awareness levels correlated with education, income, and institutional trust. Respondents who had studied longer, faced fewer financial difficulties, or trusted EU institutions tended to recognise more food safety topics.

The same group was more likely to select nutrient content, origin, or environmental impact as key purchase drivers.

Trust in scientific and institutional sources remains high

Doctors were the most trusted source of information on food safety, cited by 90% of respondents, followed by scientists working in public institutions (84%), consumer organisations (82%), and farmers (81%).

Seven in 10 respondents said they trusted national authorities, while 69% expressed trust in EU institutions, with both figures showing a slight increase since 2022. In Portugal, Sweden, Finland, and Ireland, more than 80% said they trusted EU-level food safety institutions.

Despite this trust, engagement with food safety information remains uneven. Forty-one percent of respondents said they assumed food sold in the EU was safe and therefore did not pay close attention to information.

Another 30% said they knew enough to avoid food risks, while 27% found the information too complex or technical.