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A Gallup poll reported October 8 found that 65% of Americans are very or somewhat confident that grocery-store food is safe, down from 73% in 2025 and the lowest level in the poll’s record. Food Safety News publisher Bill Marler links the decline to a recent Cyclospora outbreak and proposes 10 policy changes, but the poll figures and his explanations do not establish what caused the decline.
Americans’ confidence in food safety has fallen to a record low, according to Gallup polling released October 8, prompting Food Safety News publisher Bill Marler to call for changes to recall notices, disease surveillance and federal oversight. Gallup found that 65% of respondents were very or somewhat confident that food sold in grocery stores was safe to eat, while confidence in the federal government’s ability to ensure food safety stood at 47%.
The grocery-food confidence figure fell from 73% in 2025 and 81% in 2019, according to the figures reported by Food Safety News. Confidence in the federal government dropped from 68% in 2019 and 85% in 2004. The outlet said this is the first time a majority of Americans have reported little or no confidence in the government on food safety.
The poll also found that 73% avoided a brand or type of food in the past year because of a recall or advisory, up from 53% in 2024. Forty-five percent said they had thrown out or returned food, while 42% said they worried that something they ate might have been contaminated. These are reported survey responses, not measures of confirmed illnesses.
Marler’s 10 proposals include making retail store destinations easier to find in recall notices, publicly identifying companies linked to outbreaks, expanding CDC pathogen surveillance and moving ahead with food traceability requirements. He also advocates more outbreak sampling near livestock operations, funding inspectors and local health agencies, treating Salmonella in poultry as an adulterant, warnings for some high-risk foods, greater executive accountability and a single independent food-safety agency.
Falling Trust Changes Food Choices
The polling suggests that food-safety concerns are affecting consumer decisions across party lines. Food Safety News reports that 63% of Republicans, 73% of independents and 81% of Democrats said they avoided foods because of recalls. The figures indicate that the behavior is not limited to one political group, even as confidence in government differs sharply by party.
For consumers, unclear recall information can make it difficult to know whether a product at home or in a local store is affected. For public agencies and food businesses, low confidence can weaken the credibility of safety messages. Marler argues that transparency, prevention and accountability are needed to rebuild trust; that is his assessment, rather than a finding established by the poll.
A Poll Following Outbreak Concerns
Food Safety News says Gallup associated the decline in confidence with a Cyclospora outbreak that ran from June until it was declared over September 11. The outlet describes the outbreak as the largest in U.S. history, with more than 12,000 people sick across 21 states. The article’s author argues that state-level totals were much higher than the federal count, but the material provided does not give a comparable state tally or independent verification of that claim.
Several of Marler’s recommendations concern existing government systems. He says the Food Safety Modernization Act traceability rule was intended to help trace certain foods more quickly, but that Congress pushed compliance to 2028. He also says he has citizen petitions pending at FDA on recall store lists, company identification and sampling near animal operations. His proposals are advocacy recommendations, not adopted policy.
“Confidence is not restored by press releases. It is restored by transparency, by prevention, and by accountability.”
— Bill Marler, Food Safety News publisher
What the Poll Cannot Establish
The material provided does not include Gallup’s full questionnaire, field dates, sample size or margin of error, so those details cannot be reported here. The poll shows respondents’ stated confidence and reported behavior; it does not identify a single cause for the decline or establish that the Cyclospora outbreak drove the change.
It is also unclear from the article how the reported federal and state illness counts compare, which of Marler’s petitions FDA has formally accepted or when the agency may respond. His 10 recommendations have not been presented as government decisions, and the source does not say that any have been adopted.
Petitions and Policy Decisions Ahead
Marler says he has petitions pending with FDA and is preparing additional petitions seeking warnings for raw milk cheese and raw sprouts. He invited comments on those proposals through October 15, 2026. The source does not report agency responses or a timetable for action.
For readers, the next developments to watch are any FDA or CDC responses to the petitions, updates to federal traceability requirements and future public reporting on foodborne illness surveillance. The poll’s findings provide a measure of public sentiment; whether agencies or companies act on the proposed reforms remains unresolved.
Key Questions
What did the Gallup polling find?
Food Safety News reports that 65% of respondents were very or somewhat confident that grocery-store food was safe to eat, the lowest level in Gallup’s record. It also reports that 47% were confident in the federal government’s ability to ensure food safety.
Did the poll prove the Cyclospora outbreak caused confidence to fall?
No. Food Safety News says Gallup tied the decline to the outbreak, but the provided material does not establish that the outbreak caused the change. The poll records reported confidence and behavior, not a proven cause.
What reforms is Bill Marler proposing?
His proposals include clearer recall distribution lists, public identification of companies linked to outbreaks, broader pathogen surveillance, faster traceability, more inspection resources, poultry Salmonella controls and a single independent food-safety agency. They are recommendations, not enacted policy.
What happens to Marler’s FDA petitions next?
Marler says some petitions are pending and that he is preparing petitions about warnings for raw milk cheese and raw sprouts, with comments invited through October 15, 2026. The source gives no timeline for FDA decisions.
Source: rss
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