CHICAGO & MARCY L’ÉTOILE, France–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For this inaugural World Food Safety Day, Mérieux NutriSciences and
bioMérieux conducted an international consumer survey1 to
better understand consumer perception and behaviors towards food safety
in four countries: the United States, China, France and India. Even if
food safety seems to be a growing concern for these four countries, the
results highlight different perceptions and expectations from one
country to another.
When it comes to food safety, 96% of respondents in China declared that
they are confident in the food they consume, 93% in India and 90% in the
United States. In France however, only 65% declared to be confident in
the food they consume. 52% of French people interviewed claim they feel
not enough informed about the safety of the food they consume. Indians
(86%), Americans (80%) and Chinese (77%) for their part feel well
informed about this topic.
In terms of behavior, the best before date is the most important
criteria in India (68%) and in the United States (61%). The best before
date is considered a guarantee only for 33% of the French, focusing
mainly on the origin, the traceability (71%), the composition of the
product (63%), the existence of quality labels (41%).
The brand of the product is not considered as an important guarantee of
food safety in France (11%), whilst coming in fourth place in China
(42%), third place in India (43%) and fifth place in the United States.
Another major difference between these countries is that the origin and
the traceability of the product, is the number one criteria in France,
number three in China whereas it is not even listed in the top 3 in
India and in the United States.
“As a leader in microbiological food control, we are committed to
protecting the health of consumers and the survey we have
co-funded reveals that the criteria all four nations agree on as
being a concern, is the presence of bacteria in food, rated in the top 3
by Americans, Chinese, Indians and French people. This illustrates the
importance of the microbiological quality of food and beverage for
consumers from these 4 countries,” said Nicolas Cartier, Executive
Vice President, Industrial Microbiology Unit at bioMérieux.
Among the six criteria used in the survey (presence of chemicals in
food, food fraud, presence of bacteria, use of new technologies,
presence of viruses, traces of allergens), Americans (64%) are, on
average, less worried than French (78%), Indians (81%) and particularly
Chinese (89%).
“When looking at the future, guaranteeing that a product does not
present any bacteriological or poisoning risks remains instrumental. It
will also become important to ensure that the product is free of
preservatives, not carcinogenic, organic and with an acceptable carbon
footprint,” said Philippe Sans, President & CEO of Mérieux
NutriSciences.
This implies major behavioral changes in many countries. Regarding the
packaging, French (92%), Chinese (72%), Indians (87%) and Americans
(83%) are predominantly willing to accept the evolutions: less
individual packaging, less plastic and more returnable glass. However, a
minority of French (45%) and Americans (49%) would accept to pay more
for healthier and safer food. Indians (72%) and Chinese (73%) would
gladly consent.
For this first World Food Safety Day, this survey draws attention to the
fact that Food Safety is crucial across geographies, and is everyone’s
concern.
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ODOXA survey conducted between April 30 and May 14, 2019 among a representative sample of the French population aged 18 and over, of 1000 people, a representative sample of the Chinese population aged 18 and over, of 1002 persons, a representative sample of the United States population aged 18 and over, 1005 persons and a representative sample of the Indian population aged 18 and over, of 1005 persons. |
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ABOUT MÉRIEUX NUTRISCIENCES
A world player in food safety and quality for more than 50 years,
Mérieux NutriSciences is present in 23 countries through more than 100
laboratories.
As part of Institut Mérieux, Mérieux NutriSciences offers analytical and
product development solutions to prevent health risks related to food
and more generally to the use of everyday consumer products. The company
also offers digital solutions as part of its dedicated business unit.
ABOUT BIOMÉRIEUX
Pioneering Diagnostics
A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for over
55 years, bioMérieux is present in 43 countries and serves more than 160
countries with the support of a large network of distributors. In 2018,
revenues reached €2.4 billion, with over 90% of international sales.
bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (systems, reagents, software,
services) which determine the source of disease and contamination to
improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Its products are
mainly used for diagnosing infectious diseases. Its diagnostic solutions
are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical
and cosmetic products.
bioMérieux is listed on the Euronext Paris stock market.
Symbol:
BIM – ISIN Code: FR0013280286
Reuters: BIOX.PA/Bloomberg: BIM.FP
Corporate
website: www.biomerieux.com
Contacts
Media Relations
Mérieux Nutrisciences
Violette
Dechelette
Tel.: + 33 4 72 38 15 30
Violette.dechelette@mxns.com
bioMérieux
Aurore Sergeant
Tel.: + 33 4 78 87 20 53
media@biomerieux.com
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Laurence Heilbronn
Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 70 74 64
lheilbronn@image7.fr
Claire Doligez
Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 70 74 48
cdoligez@image7.fr