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Gallup polling released Oct. 8 found that 65% of U.S. adults are very or somewhat confident food sold in grocery stores is safe, the lowest share in its tracking. The Food Safety News article pairs the survey results with 10 policy proposals from publisher Bill Marler; the proposals are his recommendations, not adopted government measures.
A Gallup poll released Oct. 8 found that 65% of Americans are very or somewhat confident that food sold in grocery stores is safe to eat, the lowest level Gallup has recorded. In a related Food Safety News commentary, publisher Bill Marler proposed 10 steps to rebuild trust, including wider recall information, stronger disease surveillance and increased accountability; those steps are recommendations, not announced policy changes.
Gallup’s figures show a continuing decline in confidence: 73% in 2025 and 81% in 2019 said they were very or somewhat confident in grocery food safety. Confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure food safety was lower still, at 47%, down from 68% in 2019 and 85% in 2004. Gallup reported that this is the first time a majority of Americans have expressed little or no confidence in the government’s role.
The poll also recorded consumer responses to recalls and advisories. Seventy-three percent said they had avoided certain brands or types of food in the past year because of one, compared with 53% in 2024. Gallup also reported that 45% had thrown out or returned food and 42% had worried that something they ate might be contaminated. These are survey responses, not independently verified counts of food disposal or illness.
Marler’s proposals include publishing the stores that received recalled products, identifying companies linked by federal agencies to outbreaks, restoring broader CDC FoodNet tracking, and speeding implementation of federal food traceability requirements. He also calls for more inspection and public-health funding, treating Salmonella in poultry as an adulterant, warning labels for some higher-risk foods, executive accountability, and a single independent federal food safety agency.
Consumer Choices Reflect Falling Trust
The poll found that many respondents said they changed what they bought or discarded food after a recall or advisory. Such responses may affect household decisions and food businesses. Uncertainty about which products and locations are involved can also make it harder for consumers to respond to an alert.
Marler’s proposals address communication, outbreak detection and product tracing. His call for an independent agency would involve a broader structural change across federal departments. The poll records attitudes; it does not establish why confidence fell or whether any particular proposal would restore it.
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Poll Results and Proposed Remedies
Food safety responsibilities are divided among federal agencies, including the FDA and USDA, as well as state and local health departments. Marler argues that this division and gaps in surveillance or traceability can impede outbreak response. His commentary says Congress pushed compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act traceability rule to 2028; the poll itself does not evaluate that rule.
Marler links the decline in confidence to a Cyclospora outbreak that ran from June until authorities declared it over on Sept. 11. He describes it as the largest in U.S. history, with more than 12,000 illnesses across 21 states. The commentary questions whether official totals capture all cases, but the material provided does not supply an independently confirmed alternative count. Gallup’s survey also found a partisan difference in confidence in government food safety efforts: 70% of Republicans were confident, compared with 30% of Democrats. Avoidance of foods after recalls was reported across parties.
“Confidence is not restored by press releases. It is restored by transparency, by prevention, and by accountability.”
— Bill Marler, Food Safety News publisher
What the Poll Cannot Establish
The supplied material does not provide Gallup’s sample size, field dates, or margin of error, so those details cannot be reported here. It also does not establish that the Cyclospora outbreak caused the decline in confidence; that connection is presented in the Food Safety News commentary. The source does not provide a separate Gallup explanation of what drove the change.
Marler’s 10 items are advocacy proposals. The material does not report that federal agencies or Congress have adopted them, nor does it establish how much any measure would cost or how much it would change illness rates. The dispute over the outbreak’s total number of illnesses also remains unresolved in the supplied information.
Policy Proposals Await Decisions
The next steps depend on decisions by agencies and lawmakers, not on the poll alone. Marler says he has citizen petitions pending at the FDA on recall destination information and disclosure of company names, and another petition concerning sampling near animal feeding operations. He also says he is preparing petitions on warnings for raw milk cheese and raw sprouts and invited public comments through Oct. 15.
Readers can look for agency responses, any congressional action on traceability and funding, and further reporting on the outbreak and surveillance totals. The source material does not give response dates for the petitions or indicate whether officials will take up the broader proposals.
Key Questions
What did the Gallup poll find?
Gallup reported that 65% of Americans were very or somewhat confident that grocery-store food is safe to eat, its lowest recorded level. Confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure food safety was 47%.
Did most respondents change their food choices?
Gallup said 73% reported avoiding certain brands or types of food in the past year because of a recall or advisory. The poll also found that 45% had thrown out or returned food.
Are the 10 recommendations government policy?
No. They are Bill Marler’s proposals in a Food Safety News commentary. The supplied material does not say that agencies or lawmakers have adopted them.
What remains disputed about the Cyclospora outbreak?
The commentary reports more than 12,000 illnesses in 21 states and says the actual count may be higher than federal figures. The material provided does not confirm a higher total or resolve the difference.
Source: rss
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