Buy Meal.com - Guide to Good Food

Many Consumers Trust Activists and Grocers for Food Information, Says New Survey

Email 50 Million Daily - FREE!

Waukesha, WI (PRWEB) December 5, 2007 -- U.S. consumers have greater faith in activists and retail grocers than either government or food companies when it comes to providing information about food choices. That's according to a new GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media survey commissioned by Morgan&Myers (http://www.morganmyers.com/home_p.htm), a communications firm specializing in food and agriculture.

Results from the national poll confirm that about two-thirds of consumers (64 percent) say advocates and activist groups have consumers' best interests in mind when it comes to providing information about food choices. Those feelings were even more pronounced among "Influentials,*" - potential thought leaders identified in the survey. Nearly three out of four

(74 percent) of Influentials feel advocates and activists have consumers' best interests in mind.

Advocates and activists were among five groups asked about in a separate part of a larger GfK OmniTel consumer product quality poll commissioned by The Worldcom Public Relations Group (http://www.worldcomgroup.com/index1.cfm), the world's leading network of independently owned public relations consulting firms.

Retail grocers also ranked highly (62 percent) and food manufacturers ranked third (53 percent). With consumers split at 47 percent, the U.S. government ranked fourth, ahead only of fast food companies (26 percent).

"These results support the idea that activists may have been successful in dominating discussions about food policy, and possibly engaging effectively with the important Influentials audience," says Bob Giblin, a senior public relations counselor and research director who tracks food and agricultural issues for Morgan&Myers (http://www.morganmyers.com/home_p.htm). "Activists and advocacy groups have worked hard to appeal to consumer values. While government and industry actually are doing more to act in consumers' interests than they're getting credit for, they may not be engaging with Influentials, or using values-based, word-of-mouth strategies favored by modern consumers. Nearly a billion meals are served daily in the United States, yet the food industry and government continue to have an up-hill march to build confidence and trust."

Confidence that the U.S. government has adequate regulations to assure the safety of food ranked fifth out of six categories asked about in the Worldcom (http://www.worldcomgroup.com/index1.cfm) poll. Only half (50 percent) of consumers are confident in the adequacy of food safety regulations, ranking well below automobiles (83 percent), consumer electronics (80 percent) and clothing (77 percent), and slightly below pharmaceuticals (51 percent). The only category food safety ranked above was toys (37 percent).

Ground beef and toys were subjects of highly publicized recalls in the past year. Only 46 percent of Americans feel the government has adequate food safety regulations for meat (i.e., beef, pork and poultry), and 48 percent for seafood. Breads, cereals and grain products rated highest (65 percent), followed by fruits and vegetables (58 percent), and dairy products (57 percent).

"The United States has the safest, most heavily regulated food supply in the world. Still, consumers seem to lack confidence even though our food system proves itself to be reliable and safe, day-after-day, with very few exceptions," says Beth Witherspoon, MPH, RD, a Morgan&Myers public relations counselor specializing in food and nutrition. "Confidence in food safety and the food supply are important for Americans to ensure a healthy and balanced diet. When people lack confidence, they eliminate entire classes of food from their diets, which may prevent them from getting a varied diet that contributes to overall health and wellness."

About the Survey

Findings cited in this release are from a national random digit dial (RDD) telephone survey of 1,009 adults (18 ) in the contiguous United States. All interviews were conducted from November 16-18, 2007. Findings for the total sample are projectable to the American adult population within a /-3 margin of error, on average, at the 95 percent confidence level. The survey was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media on behalf of The Worldcom Group and Morgan&Myers.

*The Influentials is a registered trademark of GfK (http://www.gfk.com/), and it is a GfK-exclusive political/social activity index built out of responses to a list of activities survey participants reportedly engaged in during the last year. Respondents who have engaged in three or more of these activities (beyond signing a petition) are classified as "Influential" - and may be roughly equated with "thought leaders."

About Morgan&Myers and The Worldcom Public Relations Group

Morgan&Myers is a full-service communications and consulting firm that builds brands, relationships and reputations throughout the food supply chain, including agricultural suppliers and producers, processors, retail and foodservice, food and nutrition influentials, and consumer product companies. The company has offices in Waukesha, Wis.; Minneapolis; and Waterloo, Iowa. Morgan&Myers is a partner in The Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world's leading network of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with some 112 offices in 93 cities worldwide. Established in 1988, it was formed so that the strongest, most capable independent public relations firms could serve national, international and multinational clients while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent agencies. Through The Worldcom Group, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they operate.

# # #

MORE ARTICLES:

The Folly of Diet Recipes
Have you ever wondered why diet books always seem to have a section of recipes?Apart from the desire to make the book look larger and therefore more worthwhile, why should we be so interested in studying foods and ways to serve it when we are trying to avoid it as much as possible?It is inconceivable that we have reached adulthood without the basic skills to boil, bake, steam, or roast our food.We all know that these are the only low fat methods we should be using on any diet.

Compulsive Eating and Binge Eating Disaster Plan
Congratulations on waking up each morning and greeting the day with renewed determination! Perhaps you rise and say, Today's the day — I will make it through the entire day sticking to my diet goals." What a wonderful, optimistic way to begin a fresh day.

Choosing a Restaurant
Eating out is great. To leave the cooking and the dishes to someone else - if only for one night - and just sit back and relax is surely the ultimate indulgence.

All about The Raw food diets
Raw food diet

Fats In Your Food ? The Good Fats And The Bad Fats
We read and hear so much about the problems of fats in our foods these days. Its seems that some fats are bad fats and some are healthy fats - but what are they?

Different Cooking Variations And Cultures
Cooking is the act of fixing food for consumption by the application of some form of heat There are a wide range of methods for preparing food and many tools and a myriad of ingredients to flavor the food and make it more digestible in some cases

Tijuana Kicks Off Beijing Olympics With Chinese Food and Cultural Festival on Revolution Avenue
This Olympic Weekend celebration on August 9th and 10th along Avenida Revolución will feature Chinese art, music, kung fu, more than 60 Chinese food stands, and a raffle for a trip to China. More than 8,000 visitors, including the Consul General of the Republic of China in Tijuana, Baja California's Chinese Community, and tourists from throughout Southern California, are expected in events highlighting Baja California's historic ties with China.

Vet Says Feeding Dog Food Can Put Your Pet’s Health at Risk
Paula Terifaj, D.V.M, believes that pet owners concerned about feeding their dogs a healthy diet should stop feeding highly processed pet foods. To help people feed their dogs a truly natural diet, she opened the first “for dogs only restaurant” called The Dogie Bag in Palm Springs, CA last year and has now launched dogiebag.com, which offers nutritionally balanced recipes for dog owners and homemade meals that can be purchased online.

Iko Iko Brings Soulful Swampadelic Blues to Jupiter, FL With Performance at The (New) Blue Note Cafe
Award-winning favorite, Graham Wood Drout & Iko-Iko perform with their signature brand of Rock, Blues and Soulful Swampadelic music at The Blue Note Cafe on Saturday, December 16. Tickets are $5 at the door. More information from www.iko-iko.com or www.bluenotecafepb.com

Learning About Pest Control For Your Restaurant
When customers go someplace to eat, they assume that the place is very clean They expect the cooking area where the foods are kept to be sanitary

Whatever Happened to the Basic Four Food Groups?
What Ever Happened to the Basic FourThe USDA was originally given the conflicting task of educating the public on agricultural matters while simultaneously working with food producers to provide a reliable and consistent food supply. This has, over the course of time, led to our ever evolving dietary guidelines, and yet is the purpose of these guidelines for our health or to sell more food?Would You Believe There Were Once 12 Food Groups?The food guides during the 1930's were heavily influenced by The Great Depression and at that time included 12 separate groups!In 1956 the USDA produced the "Basic Four" food guide.

Best Food Website Trends Detailed in New Report from the Web Marketing Association
New Web Marketing Association's Internet Standards Assessment Report includes Historical Data Derived from a Decade of Hosting Internet Award Competition, WebAwards, and Provides Best Practices for Food Industry Web Design

Holiday Eating: Party Hearty Without Putting on the Pounds!
The holidays are definitely a special time of year. These days, however, many women wonder whether "special" means happy -- or stressful.

Crispy Green's Crispy Fruit Snacks Cater to the Latest Food Trend
Crispy Green's Crispy Fruit freeze-dried fruit snacks are part of a new, top-10 food trend where fruit has a starring role as a snack food. Snacks often conjure up thoughts of unhealthy foods, but Crispy Fruit is redefining that concept. These light, crisp, tasty, all-natural fruit slices are packed with intense, flavorful fresh fruit taste. One serving of Crispy Fruit is 40 calories or less and equals approximately one serving of fruit. Crispy Fruit is easy to carry and is the ideal snack choice for 'on-the go' health-conscious consumers who seek a healthy alternative to traditional snack foods. Crispy Green's Crispy Fruit freeze-dried fruit snacks make it easier to get your fruit quota for the day.