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Listen to this siteMonday 10 March 2008
Some of our perceptions of risks in our diet fly in the face of science, according to a new survey by the Food Standards Agency. The survey investigated how consumers perceive the risks associated with various food issues in comparison to the scientific evidence.
Bird flu – 90% of people would be concerned about eating chicken from a factory contaminated with bird flu. In reality, there’s no scientific evidence to show that the food chain has a role in the contraction of bird flu in humans. People can’t catch bird flu through eating properly cooked chicken.
Raw milk – nearly a quarter of people, and particularly those aged over 66, thought that there is a very low risk, or no risk at all, from drinking raw (unpasteurised) milk. The science, however, says that raw milk cannot be guaranteed free from germs, even when produced under the best possible hygiene conditions. A study carried out in 1995-96 showed that 60% of samples tested were contaminated with faecal matter. Another study in 1996-97 also showed that 4% of raw milk contained harmful bacteria that could make people ill. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the very young and pregnant women are particularly at risk.
Genetically Modified (GM) food – 65% of people were concerned about the safety of consuming GM food. The scientific evidence tells us that the GM foods currently available are as safe as their non-GM counterparts, and pose no additional risk to the consumer. There is general agreement that foods containing GM material need to be labelled to allow consumers to make a choice.
Trust – people are more likely to trust the advice of a friend or a family member on health issues than scientists, even independent scientists.
The survey did, however, show that there is now little concern about the safety of eating beef. There was good awareness of the risks associated with eating too much salt and of the food safety dangers of eating old leftovers.
The survey was conducted for the launch of the first meeting of the independent General Advisory Committee on Science (GACS) chaired by leading scientist Professor Colin Blakemore, on Tuesday 11 March. GACS will be holding an open panel debate in the afternoon to look at the question 'Should we trust what scientists say about food?'. Panellists will include the Guardian’s 'Bad Science' columnist Ben Goldacre.
Prof Colin Blakemore said: 'This survey is just a snapshot of people’s opinions about food and risk but it prompts some interesting questions about how and why we judge some food to be risky. The good news is that people are clearly more aware of the impact of some risks to their health – particularly too much salt in their diet and some food safety issues. However, it also seems to show people are more likely to listen to advice about risk from friends than from scientists. It’s clear that scientists need to communicate reliable evidence in a way that everyone can understand and to find constructive ways of engaging with the public on areas of concern. It’s a challenge that the Food Standards Agency will have to rise to.'
The overall purpose of the General Advisory Committee on Science (GACS) is to offer independent challenge and advice on how the Food Standards Agency (FSA) collects and uses scientific evidence. The membership of the committee includes 13 expert members and two lay members.
The FSA survey was designed to assess:
A series of questions were placed on the RSGB Omnibus survey, which interviewed a representative (in terms of gender, age, and working status) sample of 2,019 UK adults (aged 16+) between the 20 and 24 February 2008. Data was weighted at the analysis stage to ensure that the sample was demographically representative.
Eating chicken from factory contaminated with bird flu
Drinking raw (unpasteurised) milk
Consuming genetically modified (GM) food
Eating meat leftovers three days after cooking
Eating beef
Eating too much salt
For more information on the GACS panel debate go to:
Trust
In the survey consumers were asked 'Who would you trust to tell which of the activities posed the most risk to health?'
Percentage of people rating the person/organisation they would trust as their first, second or third choice:
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