As the United States implements a new law aimed at strengthening oversight of the food consumers eat, shoppers worry about the safety of products imported from China, Mexico and Africa. China fared the worst when it came to shoppers' views about food safety oversight, according to an online survey of 571 people conducted for Reuters by SupermarketGuru.com, a website that spots trends and helps shoppers make food buying decisions.
When asked to choose the two countries they perceived as having the least food safety oversight, survey participants picked China 81 percent of the time and Mexico 51 percent of the time. According to respondents, other areas of concern included Africa (48 percent) and South America (27 percent). They picked the United States 11 percent of the time.
Canada was chosen 3 percent of the time, while Australia, France, Britain and New Zealand each were chosen in 2 percent of instances. When given the choice to pick two regions where they avoid buying food due to safety concerns, three-quarters of respondents chose China. That compared with 42 percent for Africa, 41 percent for Mexico and 24 percent for South America. Food costs are on the rise due to higher commodity prices, adding pressure to grocers who already operate with very thin margins. Supermarket operators like Kroger Co have said they plan to pass those higher food costs on to shoppers.