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The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) reports in its biannual Consumer Monitor what concerns consumers in Germany have with regard to health and nutrition.
In February, in the first representative survey, the 1000 consumers questioned rated certain nutrient constellations, e.g. high levels of sugar, fat or salt in food, as a cause for concern.
Other health-relevant topics besides alcohol and nicotine are antibiotic resistance and microplastic content in food, which the respondents rated as critical to health. Only half of the survey participants believe that food in Germany is safe, but 44% expect that food safety can be improved in the future. As for pesticide residues in food, as many as 67% were concerned. Regarding microbiological risks, more than 50% of the respondents feel poorly informed. The lack of information regarding campylobacter (76%) is particularly striking, although more than 80% of the study participants confirmed their interest in consumer health issues. When it comes to informing about risks, consumer organisations and science rank very high in the trust of the public, whereas the commercial sector scores only very moderately.
Regular voluntary and independent quality controls of food products are now common practice everywhere, although testing schedules certainly need constant adaptation. AGROLAB laboratories provide reliable and competent support in this regard. If you put a lot of effort into your quality assurance, you should also let consumers know that.
Link: https://www.bfr.bund.de/ (in german only)
Author: Dr. Frank Mörsberger
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