Food Safety Top of Mind for American Consumers

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent survey, conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of Bureau Veritas among over 2,000 US adults ages 18+, regarding food safety and restaurants, 79 percent of Americans indicate that they avoid eating at restaurants that they know have had previous health and food safety violations. "Consumers seem to be more educated about their choices," said Jorge Hercules, vice president of certification at Bureau Veritas North America. "This survey reminds us that the consumer is clearly in control of choice, and food chains have very little room for error related to food safety in their operations."

The poll also found that nearly two in five Americans (38%) consider a strong food safety track record to be among the most important factors in choosing a restaurant. Here is how consumers ranked factors related to restaurant choice:

• Quality of food (85%)
• Price of food (69%)
• Location (63%)
• Recommendations from family/friends (49%)
• Strong food safety track record (38%)
• Positive reviews on social media (26%)
• Child-friendly (15%)
• Sustainably sourced food (12%)
• Ability to meet dietary restrictions (10%)

To minimize potential negative impact on brand integrity and revenue, national and local food chains are placing greater emphasis on improving their food safety processes through the application of technology and employee training. "We are excited to be partnering with Bureau Veritas to increase our monitoring of food safety through digital technology and processes," said Tim Hughes, Regional Corporate Chef at Fig & Olive. "It gives me even greater confidence that we are properly managing food safety across our different locations while reducing the amount of time spent doing paperwork. Fig & Olive is committed to using fresh, simple, and classic ingredients prepared in a contemporary style to reinvent traditional Mediterranean cuisine — and the safety of our ingredients is imperative."

From a generational perspective, those in the silent generation — born between 1925 and 1942 — a strong majority seem to be influenced in their eatery choices by food safety issues, with 85 percent claiming to avoid eating at restaurants that they know have had previous health and food safety violations. Not far behind, 77 percent of millennials (ages 22-40) and 78 percent of baby boomers (ages 53-71) make the same claim.

For more information about SafeOps, visit http://www.bureauveritas.com/home/safeops.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the organization has around 70,000 employees located in 1,400 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations for quality, health and safety, environmental protection, and social responsibility. SafeOps is a digital service to help food retailers and restaurateurs manage food safety and operations effectively and cost-efficiently.

Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the CAC Next 20 index.
Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.

About the survey methodology

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Bureau Veritas from July 12-14, 2017, and obtained the opinions of 2,074 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample; therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Stephen Holmes.

SOURCE: Bureau Veritas

SOURCE Bureau Veritas

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