Peanut-gate: Will consumers still trust American food?

A proportion of consumers have steered away from Chinese products on the wake of last year’s melamine milk crisis.

It may be far-fetched to call America the new China in the food fear stakes:

Though there may be room for improvement at the FDA, the US does​ have considerably more food safety checks built into the system than China, which is only starting to wake up to the need for standards.

But when one firm lets standards slip, just how much of a knock-on effect does this have on the rest of industry?

Will consumers believe that the PCA just happens to have been caught out, and that many others firms’ foul practices remain undetected?

What should responsible firms be doing to protect the reputation of American food as safe food?

And if food safety inspections are to be ramped up, who should pay for that – industry or government?

What about consumer reactions? Are they so wholly disgusted by the peanut problems because peanut butter is an all-American foodstuff, on a par with hamburgers and fries?

Or does it the official-sounding name Peanut Corporation of America make people feel they have been let down by a once-trusted institution?

What do you think? ​

We would like to hear your views on the impact the PCA contamination will have on the American food industry and consumer attitudes at large. ​

Please send your comments of no more than 100 words to jess.halliday 'at' decisionnews.com by 19th February, putting ‘Peanut-gate' in the subject line. ​

We will publish a selection of the best responses, covering all angles of the debate, on Friday February 20th. ​

Please note that comments will be taken to be 'on the record', and the sender's name and affiliated company/organization will be published.​