A survey conducted recently by IBM (yes, IBM) shows that less than 1 in 5 consumers trust food companies to provide them with safe food. 1000 people were surveyed. Additional stats:

60% of consumers are concerned about the safety of food they purchase.

63% are knowledgeable about the content of the food they buy.

46% named peanut butter as a recalled product. 15% remembered spinach as a recalled product.

63%  purposefully changed their grocery shopping behavior in the past two years because they wanted better value for their money.

45% have changed shopping behavior to access fresher foods and better quality foods.

What you need to know:

If you’re wondering what IBM has to do with food, they’ve prepares an answer here:

With innovative digital technology and powerful solutions, IBM is making sure food is traced properly as it passes though an increasingly complex global supply chain. IBM is also making that food heartier through biological research.

Will the recent spate of recalls, along with the rising obesity epidemic, and a new administration bent on change have a substantial effect on improving America’s diet?

Advances in information technology are helping information become available cheaply and easily. Manufacturers know exactly where they source every single ingredient. They should pass the information on to consumers.

With a bit of effort, they can create databases accessible to consumers online. Each of the ingredients of a specific product from a specific batch would then be traceable to it farm / laboratory origins.

What to do at the supermarket:

There’s not much consumers can do right now except demand more information from their grocer and from their favorite brands. If enough consumers will demand transparency, the information will start to appear.

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