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Gallup polling released Oct. 8 found that 65% of Americans are confident food sold in grocery stores is safe, its lowest recorded level, while confidence in the federal government fell to 47%. Food Safety News publisher Bill Marler attributes the decline in part to a Cyclospora outbreak and proposes 10 reforms; the poll records public views, not proof of what caused them.
Gallup polling 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 in the poll’s recorded results. Confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure food safety stood at 47%, also a record low, as Food Safety News publisher Bill Marler called for changes to recalls, outbreak tracking and agency oversight.
The reported grocery-food confidence figure fell from 73% in 2025 and 81% in 2019. Confidence in the federal government has dropped from 68% in 2019 and 85% in 2004. Gallup’s results indicate that a majority of respondents now have little or no confidence in the government on food safety.
Respondents also reported changing their behavior. Seventy-three percent said they avoided particular brands or food types during the past year because of a recall or advisory, compared with 53% in 2024. Forty-five percent said they had thrown away or returned food, and 42% said they worried that something they ate might have been contaminated. These are survey responses; the supplied report does not provide the poll’s sample size, field dates or margin of error.
Marler, a food-safety lawyer and Food Safety News publisher, proposed 10 steps: make retail destinations of recalled products public; identify companies linked to outbreaks; restore wider federal pathogen surveillance; move ahead with food traceability; investigate potential sources near implicated fields; fund inspectors and public-health departments; regulate Salmonella in poultry as an adulterant; consider warnings for raw milk cheese and raw sprouts; pursue executive accountability; and create a single independent food-safety agency. These are Marler’s recommendations, not announced government actions.
Recall Fears Affect Shopping Choices
The findings suggest that food-safety concerns are not limited to confidence ratings: many respondents say recalls and advisories changed what they bought or kept. That can affect consumers, retailers and food producers, while also making clear recall information and outbreak investigations consequential beyond the agencies conducting them.
Marler says the reported loss of trust calls for more transparency and prevention. The polling alone does not establish why confidence fell, or demonstrate that any single proposed reform would raise it. Still, his proposals point to practical questions for officials: how quickly affected products can be traced, what the public learns during an outbreak, and whether surveillance and enforcement have enough resources.
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Outbreak Figures and Oversight
Marler connected the poll’s decline to a Cyclospora outbreak that began in June and was declared over Sept. 11. The source article describes it as the largest in U.S. history, with more than 12,000 illnesses across 21 states, while Marler argues that state health department counts were much higher than the federal total. The supplied material does not include the underlying state and federal figures needed to verify or quantify that gap independently.
His proposals address different parts of the food-safety system, which is divided among federal agencies including the FDA and USDA, along with state and local health departments. He says he has citizen petitions pending at the FDA on recall distribution information and company identities, and is preparing petitions on warnings for raw milk cheese and raw sprouts. The source says comments on the latter proposals were invited through Oct. 15.
Marler also points to the food traceability rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act, saying Congress moved its compliance date to 2028. He argues that delay could slow investigations. The source does not detail the rule’s requirements or provide an agency response to his assessment.
“Confidence is not restored by press releases. It is restored by transparency, by prevention, and by accountability.”
— Bill Marler, Food Safety News publisher
Poll Details and Causes Remain Open
The source article does not provide Gallup’s sample size, survey dates, question wording or margin of error, limiting independent assessment of the results. It also does not establish that the Cyclospora outbreak caused the fall in confidence; that connection is Marler’s interpretation of the figures.
The scale of the alleged difference between federal and state illness counts is not documented in the supplied material. Nor does it include responses from the FDA, USDA, CDC or Congress to Marler’s proposals, or evidence that the pending petitions will lead to policy changes. The poll measures reported attitudes and behavior, not the effectiveness of any specific food-safety intervention.
Petitions and Policy Decisions Ahead
Marler said he has petitions pending at the FDA concerning public access to recalled-product distribution information and disclosure of companies linked to outbreaks. He said petitions proposing warnings for raw milk cheese and raw sprouts were being prepared, with comments invited through Oct. 15, 2026. The supplied report does not say whether the agency has acted on the pending requests.
Other issues Marler raised—including traceability timing, pathogen surveillance, staffing, poultry regulation and agency structure—would require decisions by federal officials or Congress. No timetable or commitments for those changes appear in the source material. Gallup’s poll and any future agency responses will offer further evidence about public attitudes and whether the proposals gain traction.
Key Questions
What did Gallup find about food safety confidence?
Sixty-five percent of respondents were very or somewhat confident that grocery-store food is safe to eat, the lowest level reported in the source. Confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure food safety was 47%.
Did the poll prove the Cyclospora outbreak caused confidence to fall?
No. Marler linked the decline to the outbreak, but the supplied report does not establish causation. The poll figures show reported confidence and behavior, not why respondents’ views changed.
What changes is Bill Marler proposing?
His 10 proposals include publicizing where recalled products were distributed, naming companies linked to outbreaks, expanding pathogen surveillance, advancing traceability, funding public-health work, and changing poultry rules. He also called for warnings on some higher-risk foods, executive accountability and a single independent food-safety agency.
Are Marler’s proposals already in effect?
The source presents them as recommendations, not adopted policy. Marler says some petitions are pending at the FDA and others are being prepared; the article does not report agency decisions.
Source: rss
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