Americans’ confidence that food sold at most grocery stores is safe has fallen to its lowest level recorded, with 65% now very or somewhat confident, according to a Gallup poll.
That’s down from 73% last year and 72% in 2024, and well below the 81% recorded in 2019.
The latest poll also updated a question asking Americans whether they had taken each of three steps within the past year in response to a government food safety advisory or product recall.
The most common, and the one that has increased the most since 2024, is avoiding purchasing certain brands or types of food. Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults say they have done this in the past year, up 20 points from 53% saying so in 2024. The current figure also exceeds the percentages avoiding certain foods in 2007 (62%) and 2008 (60%), when significant food safety issues were in the news.
Additionally, 45% of Americans say they have thrown out or returned a food product to the store in the past year, up from 37% in 2024 and slightly higher than the 40% found in 2007. Similarly, a trend-high 42%, up from 26% in 2024, say they have worried that something they ate may have been contaminated.
The decline in confidence in the safety of grocery store food since last year is concentrated among Democrats and Independents, while Republicans have become more confident. Democrats' confidence that grocery store food is safe has fallen 14 points to 66%, while Republicans' has risen nine points to 77%. Independents' has dropped 10 points to 60%.