Few trust companies over food safety: Poll
By: Sarah Schmidt, The Vancouver Province
OTTAWA — Most Canadians don’t trust the food industry to ensure their products are safe and want the government to be more hands-on in policing food companies, according to national survey.
The survey of 1,001 Canadians, with findings to be released today, determined that only 13.7 per cent put their faith in food companies compared to 72.4 per cent who identified government food inspectors and scientists when asked which player they trust most to ensure the food they buy at the grocery store is safe.
Seven out of 10 say government should be more proactive in policing food companies. Only 22 per cent believe government should rely more on companies to police their own safety processes.
The survey also found that only 12.4 per cent of Canadians have a high level of trust in food companies to assess themselves when it comes to compliance with safety rules. Conversely, 50.3 per cent said they hold industry in very low regard, either not trusting companies at all (23 per cent) or having low trust (27.3 per cent); 33 per cent were neutral, scoring three on a fivepoint scale.
Nanos Research conducted the survey on behalf of the Agriculture Union, a wing of the Public Service Alliance of Canada representing government meat inspectors.
“It’s telling government that people expect the government to take a positive role in this area, and not just simply say that it’s up to the companies,” said Bob Kingston, head of the Agriculture Union.
“The laws that are there to protect Canadians have to be enforced by somebody the population feels is accountable to them, not accountable to Michael McCain or corporate interests or shareholders of a company.”
“I think the government should pay attention,” Kingston said of the survey results. “I don’t think they can keep devolving this stuff the way they have been just to save a buck.”
