Americans Say They’ve Changed Their Shopping Habits Because of Food Safety Concerns

A Change Research national survey of 2,023 voters, conducted September 15-24, 2026, finds that 71% of voters indicating they have personally changed their shopping or eating habits due to recent food safety concerns. The same survey finds that 51% say they don't trust the Food and Drug Administration at all, and just 6% say they trust it a lot. The Environmental Protection Agency shows nearly identical numbers: 51% say not at all, and 6% say a lot.

Shopping and Eating Habits

We asked voters whether food safety concerns had changed how they shop or eat. 71% say they've personally made changes to their shopping or eating habits due to recent food safety concerns. 78% of women and 64% of men cited a behavior change. The partisan gap on this question is real but smaller than on recall perception: 82% of pure independents and 80% of Democrats say they've made these changes, compared to 59% of Republicans, a 21-point gap between the parties.

Food Recall Perception

64% of voters say they've noticed more food recalls this year than usual, the most common response. The partisan gap is much wider here than on behavior: 82% of Democrats and 45% of Republicans say they've noticed more recalls, a 37-point difference, and 66% of pure independents say the same. On "about the same as usual," the pattern flips: 41% of Republicans choose that answer, compared to just 9% of Democrats. Even so, majorities in both parties say they've changed their habits, despite the wide difference in what they say they're seeing.

Low Trust Across Both FDA and EPA

75% of voters say they have little or no trust in the FDA to ensure the safety, efficacy, and security of food and medicine, while just 24% have some or a lot of trust. Distrust crosses party lines: 80% of Democrats, 80% of pure independents, and 69% of Republicans trust the FDA only a little or not at all. Democrats are the most likely to reject the agency outright, with 57% saying they don't trust the FDA at all, compared to 45% of Republicans. Republicans are more likely to say they have some trust (23%, compared to 14% of Democrats). Age makes little difference: 52% of voters 18 to 34 and 49% of those 65 and older say they don't trust the FDA at all, a difference within the margin of error.

Trust in the EPA to protect human health and the environment is just as low: 75% of voters have little or no trust, and 23% have some or a lot. Pure independents are the most skeptical, with 80% expressing little or no trust, compared to 76% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans. 56% of Democrats and 55% of pure independents say they don't trust the EPA at all, compared to 45% of Republicans. Strong trust is rare in both parties: just 6% of Democrats and 6% of Republicans say they trust the EPA a lot.

Household Drinking Water

48% of voters say they've ever had concerns about the safety or quality of their household's drinking water. There is no partisan split on this question: 47% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans cite such concerns. Pure independents are more likely to report water concerns, with 59% citing them. 55% of women say they've had concerns about their household's drinking water, compared to 42% of men.

Methodology

Polling was conducted online from September 15-24, 2026. Using Dynamic Online Sampling to attain a representative sample, Change Research polled 2,023 registered voters nationally. The modeled margin of error is ±2.3 percentage points. As a member of AAPOR's Transparency Initiative, Change Research discloses all relevant details about our research, with the principle that the public should be able to evaluate and understand research-based findings in order to instill and restore public confidence in survey results.