Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
7/31/00
Contacts:
Paul Lasley, Extension Sociology, (515) 294-0937, plasley@iastate.edu
Del Marks, Extension Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807,
delmarks@iastate.edu
Farmers Concerned about Food Safety and Health Issues
AMES, Iowa -- Food borne diseases such as salmonella, E.coli contamination and hepatitis are cause for concern about the nation's food supply, say two out of three Iowa farmers. Concern about these diseases showing up in the food chain led to the inclusion of 16 food safety and health issue questions in the 2000 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. Paul Lasley, Iowa State University Extension rural sociologist who directed the survey, said since food safety is a major concern among consumers, it is important to see if producers share those same concerns.
On a scale of "1" (not concerned) to "5" (very concerned), 65 percent rated their level of concern about salmonella as a 4 or 5. The average score was 3.9 on the 5-point scale. E. coli and hepatitis followed closely behind with 64 percent and 63 percent giving these food borne illnesses score of either 4 or 5. Both of these diseases had an average score of 3.8 on the scale. "These data indicate that the concerns we are hearing from consumers about food borne illnesses are also shared among producers," Lasley concluded.
Besides concerns about food borne diseases, Iowa farmers also expressed high levels of concern about food handling regulations. Fifty-six percent rankedthose concerns 4 or 5 on the 5-point scale. And 55 percent gave the same rankings to concerns about pesticide residues in fresh fruit and vegetables. Concern about aerial spraying of pesticides drew an average ranking of 3.5 on the 5-point scale.
A health concern addressed by the survey was the contamination of groundwater by livestock manure, ranked as a 4 or 5 by 49 percent of the respondents. "There are only 10,000-plus people in our county, and we are extremely concerned with the high percentage of cancer cases," a Palo Alto County farmer wrote. "The number of hogs and application of manure can't help but contribute to the quality of our water."
Other food safety concerns addressed in the survey included antibiotic residues in meat and poultry, (45 percent gave it high rankings) and hormones in food (45 percent giving it a score of 4 or 5), each of which received average rankings of 3.4. "While we hear a lot about European concerns about U.S. food imports, these data suggest that Iowa producers are also concerned about the safety of antibiotic and hormone residues," Lasley said.
Food additives such as dyes or preservatives were viewed as a source of major concern by 37 percent of the respondents. Thirty-seven percent also ranked concern about the cholesterol or fat content of food as a 4 or 5. Ranking lower as causes for concern were the use of insecticides, ranked 4 or 5 by 36 percent, and the levels of salt in food, ranked 4 or 5 by 25 percent.
At the bottom end of the scale, farmers said they have minimal concerns with genetically modified crops, with 47 percent ranking it 1 or 2 on the 5-point scale, indicating little or no concern. One in four (25 percent) indicated food safety concerns about GMOs. Forty-seven percent also said they were not concerned about irradiation of food, although 24 percent registered concerns at the 4 or 5 level. Fifty-one percent said use of chemical fertilizers should not be a cause for concern about food safety.
"The whole idea behind GMO crops is to use less pesticides and produce safer food," a Webster County farmer wrote on the questionnaire. "People with the knowledge and credibility of Dr. Norman Borlaug need to be brought to the front on this issue," he said.
The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll is funded by ISU Extension and the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The purpose of the poll, conducted since 1982, is to ask farmers' views on a variety of rural and agricultural issues. A statewide random sample of 4,977 Iowa farm operators were sent mail questionnaires in February, with a 61 percent response rate, yielding a sample size of 3,049.
ml: isufarm
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