FSANZ surveyed more than 2000 Australian and New Zealand consumers to understand their trust in and understanding of the shared food regulation system covering both countries
A new survey has found that consumers rate nutrition above other food values such as naturalness, convenience, and country of origin, with almost three-quarters of Australian and New Zealand consumers putting effort into maintaining a healthy diet.
The first Consumer Insights Tracker (CIT) survey run by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has revealed consumers look for food labels that can help them identify nutritious foods and make good dietary choices.
FSANZ surveyed more than 2000 Australian and New Zealand consumers to understand their trust in and understanding the shared food regulation system covering both countries.
Results from the 2023 CIT have just been released, with key findings including:
72 per cent of people have confidence in the safety of the food supply, with farmers and food producers the most trusted sector in the food system (83 per cent trust)
70 per cent of people trust mandatory back-of-pack food labelling like the nutrition information panel and ingredients list but have less trust in voluntary front-of-pack labelling such as claims about health benefits (40 per cent trust)
73 per cent of consumers reported putting effort into maintaining a healthy diet, with people looking for food labels that can help identify nutritious food
59 per cent of consumers nominated foodborne illness as their key food safety concern.
Dr Sandra Cuthbert, FSANZ CEO said the bi-national standards agency was committed to building trust and confidence in the food supply and would run the CIT every year to track consumer attitudes to food safety over time.
