01/23/08 Consumer confidence

Today, I have to tell you about something that disturbs me a little. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute to tell you about it. I read an article in the Western Livestock Reporter that troubles me some. The article related some findings of a survey taken by the publications Meatingplace and POULTRY in regard to consumer confidence concerning the safety of the U.S. meat supply. About 34 percent of consumers say they are less confident in the safety of the meat supply than they were five years ago. Irving Rein, a communications studies professor at Northwestern University states this could be a result of the media's relentless coverage of recalls which triggers "a general distrust of food safety in America." "Relentless coverage" makes me wonder if the media is filled with activist vegetarians or maybe die-hard meat eaters who want to make sure the meat industry takes food safety seriously. Speaking of the meat industry  the survey found consumers almost equal as to whether that industry is doing all it should to safeguard meat products. Only 35 percent of consumers surveyed felt the government is doing enough to provide meat product safety. While the majority remain confident in the overall safety of our nation's meat supply, I think the minority percentage of consumers who have concerns about meat product safety is too large and should be a strong suggestion to all of us in the meat industry to provide a product worthy of consumer confidence. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Reporter 12/26/07