Half of Grocery Shoppers Seek "Made in America" Label

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- It's not known how many containers of leftover shrimp fried rice were discarded from American refrigerators after the U.S. government issued a strong food warning against Chinese shrimp and other seafood earlier this month, but it seems clear the alert could have significant implications for the way people shop for groceries. By halting the import of certain seafood products from China because of "filth" and illegal contaminants, the FDA has seemingly given new significance to the "Made in America" label.

Seafood isn't the only category of products coming from China that has caused alarm in the United States. During the past year, serious health safety concerns have arisen about Chinese ingredients in toothpastes, pet foods, toys, and some medicines.

According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll conducted in the wake of the latest seafood advisory, about half of U.S. grocery shoppers say they make a special effort to buy food items produced in the United States.

The public is not entirely confident in the safety of food produced on their home soil; however, on a relative basis, far fewer Americans say they are concerned about the safety of American grocery products than say this about food coming from China. The depth of public concern about Chinese products is seen not just in comparisons with food produced in the United States, but with food from Mexico.

Close to half of Americans (46%) say they are very concerned about the safety of food in their local grocery stores that comes from China. This is nearly double the percentage saying they are very concerned about food originating in Mexico (28%) and more than four times the percentage saying they are very concerned about food produced in the United States (11%).

The total percentages saying they are either very or somewhat concerned about food from these three countries shows only food produced in the United States enjoying widespread confidence. Whereas 74% of Americans are very or somewhat concerned about food from China, and 61% are concerned about food from Mexico, only 39% say this about food from the United States. The majority of Americans (62%) say they are not too concerned or not concerned at all about the safety of U.S. food.

There is virtually no difference in these ratings between Americans who say they grocery shop "frequently" versus those who shop less often.

"COOL" Laws Could be Affected

Federal food labeling laws require grocery stores to post the country of origin for all seafood items (or COOL, for "country-of-origin labeling"). COOL labels for meat, produce, and nuts are currently suspended -- something critics blame on the food and grocery lobbies, which oppose such labeling -- but political pressure could be mounting to change that.

Given a choice between a product grown in the United States and one grown abroad, it appears that at least half of American grocery shoppers would favor the U.S. product. Thus, the impact that foreign food scares have on grocery sales could well depend on how easy it is for consumers to identify U.S. products on the shelves.

Forty-two percent of American grocery shoppers who make a special effort to buy U.S. products say it is either very or somewhat easy for them to identify the country of origin of food products. Nearly 6 in 10 (57%) find it at least somewhat difficult.

More specifically, only 13% say it is "very easy" to identify the country source. This includes 13% of people who frequently shop for groceries and 12% of those who shop less often.

Health Safety or National Pride?

The reason why is unclear, but the new poll finds sharp generational differences in the percentages of American grocery shoppers who say they seek out food produced in the United States when shopping, and also in the percentages of Americans overall who are concerned about the safety of Chinese and Mexican food products.

Only 34% of 18- to 34-year-old grocery shoppers say they make a special effort to buy food produced in the United States, but this rises to more than half of those aged 35 and older.

Compared with middle aged and older Americans, young adults express fairly low levels of concern about the safety of food from Mexico and China. However, there is no significant difference by age in concern about U.S. food products.

Young adults could be less aware than older Americans of the government advisories about foreign food products. Alternatively, they could have less of a general bias for buying American products, or simply be less apt to worry about the issue. One thing seems clear: buying American food is not a partisan issue. Identical percentages of Republican and Democratic grocery shoppers (53%) say they make a special effort to buy American-made groceries.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,014 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 6-8, 2007. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

For results based on the sample of 921 grocery shoppers, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

For results based on the sample of 518 grocery shoppers who make a special effort to buy items produced in the United States, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±5 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

39. How often do you, personally, shop for groceries -- frequently, occasionally, rarely, or never?

40. (Asked of those who frequently or occasionally shop for groceries) When you shop for groceries, do you make a special effort to buy items produced in the United States, or not?

BASED ON 921 ADULTS WHO FREQUENTLY OR OCCASIONALLY SHOP FOR GROCERIES

41. (Asked of grocery shoppers who make a special effort to buy items produced in the United States) As you may know, the items in your local grocery store come from many different countries. In general, how easy or difficult is it for you to tell which countries produced the items in your grocery store? Is it -- [ROTATED: very easy, somewhat easy, somewhat difficult, (or) very difficult]?

BASED ON 518 GROCERY SHOPPERS WHO MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO BUY ITEMS PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES

42. How concerned are you about the safety of food in your local grocery stores that comes from -- [RANDOM ORDER] -- very concerned, somewhat concerned, not too concerned, or not concerned at all?