Danes top in Europe in terms of food safety awareness

According to a new report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Danes know more about food-related risks that the average European.

The report (here in English) revealed that 77 percent of Danes had a very high awareness of food risks based on responses regarding 15 topics such as hygiene, antibiotics and pesticide residue in food, chemical pollution and additives.

READ ALSO: Death of Marmite’s saviour could lead to a dearth of international foodstuffs

Women more aware
The Danes are most concerned about antibiotics, hormones or steroids in meat, followed by pesticides in food, while just 14 percent of Danes are worried about genetically modified ingredients in food or animal illness.

In Europe, women were also found to be more interested in food safety than men – 44 percent compared to 38 percent – and the interest in the issue increases in tandem with the level of education. In Denmark, 45 percent said they had permanently changed their behaviour due to new knowledge about food risks.

Sweden topped the chart with 90 percent, followed by the Netherlands (81), Denmark, Finland (72) and Slovenia (71). At the opposite end of the spectrum, Italy scored just 25 percent, just behind Romania (30) and Hungary (33).