The type of establishment also plays a role in how safe they feel the food is. Generally, the more expensive the outlet, the more confidence consumers have. Only one in 10 feel confident about the safety of meals from convenience stores. Despite their hesitancy about the overall level of food safety, consumers do not seem to have taken matters into their own hands. Although the health risks posed by eating undercooked animal products have been discussed for years, nearly half of the respondents say they have not changed how they order hamburgers.
Few consumers report that they have stopped ordering certain foods.
Not surprisingly, those who say they have changed their habits are more likely to say they or someone they know have personally experienced foodborne illness. If many consumers have hesitated to act on food safety, most foodservice operators in the survey have done exactly the opposite. The consumer confidence in white-tablecloth restaurants, noted previously, might not be displaced. Such establishments are more likely than average to have trained employees in safe food handling, to have purchased supplies to reduce cross-contamination and to have required documentation of procedures such as monitoring temperatures. However, consumers also may be warranted in their reluctance to wholeheartedly endorse the safety of restaurant food, given the significant number of operators who have taken no action in several areas.