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"As most of our readers know, Good Housekeeping has advocated for food safety and honesty for more than 125 year. In the early 1900s, GH rallied readers to support the Pure Food and Drug Act (which passed in 1906), and has continued its advocacy mission by warning readers about deceptive health and nutrition claims, misleading serving sizes, and unsafe food practices. This week, Good Housekeeping released results from its new online study (conducted with Fairfield Research) on Trust and Mistrust in the Food System. The results were presented October 17, 2012, at the James Beard Foundation&amp;#039;s Food Conference, co-hosted by Good Housekeeping at the Hearst Tower in New York City. In a pointed indictment of official responsibility, 70% of the 860 respondents say they don&amp;#039;t think the U.S. government is doing all it can to ensure the safety of the American food supply. Nearly 8 out of 10 of these respondents think the government should impose greater food safety requirements on restaurants; more than three-quarters think the government should issue alerts to consumers on food recalls and hire more inspectors to ensure food safety. And 7 out of 10 would like the government to require labeling of foods with GMOs, while 6 out of 10 think the government should limit imports of fresh fruits and vegetables. But as much dissatisfaction as there is with government handling of the food supply, consumers hold food manufacturers even more accountable: 80% of respondents said food manufacturers have a great deal of responsibility when it comes to improving the food system, and virtually all (99%) said they have some responsibility. This compares to 63% who say that the federal government has a great deal of responsibility, and 54% who think that restaurants are very responsible for creating change. Almost half (48%) think they themselves have to assume a great deal of responsibility for making change, and 41% think the media should assume such responsibility. According to the survey, the biggest food safety concern for Good Housekeeping readers is food contamination, with 77% concerned about buying contaminated meat or produce from the supermarket, 76% concerned about eating contaminated food at restaurants, and 76% concerned about eating contaminated imported food. Consumers are much more confident about food practices in their own home: less than half (46%) say they have little or no concern about contaminating food in their own kitchens. Additives are another top concern for consumers, with more than 80% worried about hormones in foods, 69% concerned about GMOs, 67% concerned about food preservatives, and 62% concerned about artificial sweeteners. When asked about health and nutrition claims on food packaging, 86% of readers said they trust health and nutrition claims on food packages, but only 6% of those have complete confidence that they&amp;#039;re accurate. Nutrition information on food packaging is key, and 93% of readers said it has influence on their purchases. Other top claims they look for include: locally-grown (88%), trans-fat-free (85%), hormone-free (82%), natural (80%), low-calorie (80%), no GMOs (73%) and organic (70%). More than half of survey respondents \u2014 52% \u2014 said they buy organic foods. When asked which organic foods they buy at least once a month, fruits and vegetables were the most cited response (84%), followed by milk/dairy products (47%), eggs (42%), and packaged foods like bread and cereal (39%). They are least likely to buy organic beverages. The perception that eating organic is healthier is what&amp;#039;s most influential: 55% of respondents said they buy them because &amp;quot;they are better for me and my family&amp;quot; and 52% said &amp;quot;they are less likely to make my family sick from pesticide contamination.&amp;quot; Another reason for choosing organic foods is to avoid GMOs, (42%), better for the planet (38%), safer than non-organic foods (34%), of higher quality (33%) and they&amp;#039;re nutritionally healthier (33%). When eating out, 95% of respondents selected food safety and cleanliness as the top deciding factor in choosing a restaurant, followed by food quality and freshness (94%), and a convenient location and good reviews (82%). More than half (61%) want to know where the ingredients come from, 60% are concerned about fair labor practices, and 59% want to know about the restaurant&amp;#039;s commitment to the community. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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