Consumers Want Reduced Exposure to Pesticides on Food

It is common to hear that the U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world. Yet, it is equally common to hear concerns expressed about it-particularly over microbial contamination, such as the much-publicized cases of E. coli-tainted hamburgers in the West, and pesticide residues, such as the scare over Alar pesticide on apples. In a recent national survey by the University of Kentucky, primary household food shoppers revealed their opinions on food safety (fig. 1). Their top three concerns were fats and cholesterol (33.7 percent of respondents), bacterial food poisoning such as salmonellosis and botulism (30.0 percent), and pesticide residues on food (18.4 percent). While previous consumer surveys have ranked pesticides as the top food-safety concern, the rankings in this survey reflect current scientific evidence which indicates that pesticides pose a lower risk to consumers than does microbial contamination.