Consumer confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply has hit a 13-year low, according to a survey commissioned by the International Food Information Council (IFIC). The findings were released in partnership with the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), presented at the 2025 IAFP Annual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.

With 2025 marking its 20^th year, the IFIC Food and Health Survey captures the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes of 3,000 U.S. adults 18–80 years old.

Eroding Consumer Trust in the Safety of the U.S. Food Supply

This year’s findings reveal an erosion in trust in the U.S food supply. The number of respondents who said they are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” in U.S. food safety dropped sharply from 2023 (70 percent) to 2024 (62 percent) and 2025 (55 percent). Similarly, the percent of respondents who are “very confident” has declined year after year, from a high of 24 percent in 2022, to 17 percent in 2023, 14 percent in 2024, and 11 percent in 2025. Consumer confidence declined across all age demographics, led by Gen Z (down 10 percent), followed by Gen X (7 percent), Millennials (5 percent), and Baby Boomers (5 percent).

Among those who reported low confidence in the safety of U.S. foods, primary causes include:

• A belief that profit is prioritized over safety (59 percent)
• A perception that not all parts of the food system work together to ensure safety (54 percent)
• Insufficient government regulation (46 percent)
• Too many food recalls (43 percent).

Since IFIC began gauging consumer confidence in its survey 13 years ago, confidence in U.S. food safety has hit an all-time low in 2025. This mistrust is not irreparable, however, with four in ten Americans saying that their confidence would grow if they better understood how the government and food companies ensure food safety. A similar number say they would feel assured by stricter U.S. food safety regulations.

In contrast, U.S. consumers are less wary of imported foods than they were a decade ago. In 2025, only 32 percent of respondents believed imported foods are less safe than domestically produced foods, down from 52 percent in 2014. Opinions on healthfulness of imported versus domestic foods are mixed, with 21 percent saying imported foods are “less healthy,” 19 percent saying they are “healthier,” 30 percent saying they are “about the same,” and 31 percent unsure.

Consumers Worry About Pathogens, Cancer-Causing Chemicals, and Pesticides in Foods

Foodborne illnesses caused by microbiological agents like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, or Listeria monocytogenes topped the list of consumer food safety concerns, with 50 percent of respondents ranking it in their top three, followed by the presence of cancer-causing chemicals (47 percent), pesticides and pesticide residues (46 percent), and toxic heavy metals (41 percent) in foods.

In 2024, cancer-causing chemicals in food was the leading concern rather than foodborne bacteria. However, in the past year, the U.S. saw a number of high-profile, multistate, fatal foodborne illness outbreaks caused by pathogens, such as the E. coli outbreak linked to onions served on McDonald’s burgers, and the Listeria outbreak caused by Boar’s Head deli meats produced in an unsanitary facility.

Rising Concerns About Food Additives Mirror Growing National Conversation, ‘MAHA’

Concerns about food additives and ingredients have risen from 30 percent in 2024 to 36 percent in 2025, and nearly half of respondents reported believing that the U.S. permits some food colorants that are banned in other countries.

These beliefs mirror the growing national conversation around the safety of preservatives, dyes, and other substances used in product formulations. For example, in late 2023, California passed the nation’s first-ever statewide food additives ban targeting four chemical ingredients (that are not permitted for food use in the EU). Momentum from this legislation continued with the introduction of similar bills in other states, culminating in the national “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement led by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (also known as “RFK Jr.”). Under Secretary Kennedy’s HHS, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its stated interest in food chemical safety, with its sights set on synthetic food colorants and “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) ingredients.

Interestingly, down from 2012, four in ten respondents reported believing that both natural and artificial food colors must be labeled, and that food colors must be reviewed and approved by the U.S. government before being added to food products (38 percent).