United States. As consumers continue to adjust their shopping and eating habits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an Emerson survey finds that food quality and technologies that keep food safe have become increasingly important to consumers.
After surveying nearly 1,000 U.S. consumers about their perception and expectation of food safety practices, Emerson found that customers consider the guaranteed quality and freshness of their food; adequate storage of refrigerated and frozen food; and whether stores use the latest technology to keep food safe during transportation as some of the most important factors driving their food purchasing decisions.
Nearly 2 in 3 consumers (62%) agree that better technology has a role to play in keeping their food safe to eat.
More than half (56%) of consumers say better data is needed to track proper food safety practices from farm to fork.
More than 5 in 10 (51%) consumers said they would be less likely to shop at stores they are not using, and suppliers to use, the latest technologies available to keep their food safe.
Half of consumers (51%) worry about the safety of fresh, perishable and frozen food during transport to stores.
"The results of this survey confirm that consumers are as concerned about food safety as we are," said John Rhodes, president of Emerson's cold chain group. "We have made advanced cold chain technologies a top priority and have worked for years with many of the world's leading retailers to help provide end-to-end visibility into the food lifecycle. The challenges and changes in habits of COVID-19 have highlighted the fundamental goal of providing safer, higher-quality food for consumers across the country."
Emerson's survey also revealed that safety concerns amid COVID-19 have led to a shift in the shopping habits and frequency of purchase of many consumers. In addition, more than half of consumers (52%) say they are now more concerned about the safety of their food.
Nearly 6 in 10 (59%) consumers say COVID-19 has made them want to support local businesses when they shop.
Nearly half (45%) of consumers say they now shop in person much less often.
4 in 10 (40%) consumers say the way they shop has changed permanently.
To help ensure food safety and quality, Emerson has a complete portfolio of smart wireless devices and cloud-based systems that improve visibility across the global cold chain. These technologies help evolve food safety from practices such as endpoint temperature testing to real-time condition-based monitoring, allowing companies to quickly detect and correct temperature and humidity fluctuations that could affect food safety and quality.
