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Canadians have growing concerns about food safety

'Even if you trust in the food that you eat, in the back of your mind, you're maybe wondering how it's prepared, where it came from, those kinds of things.'

Ottawa (16 Aug. 2010) - Canadians are increasingly concerned about the safety of their food, says an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Postmedia News.

The poll found that 77% of Canadians surveyed were either "very" or "somewhat" concerned with the safety of the food they eat, up from 66% in 2007.

Overall, 87% said they had more trust in food that comes from inside Canada than abroad and 85% of respondents said they make an effort to buy locally-grown and produced food.

While 91% of Canadians said that they still have a general trust in the safety of the food they eat, the poll shows rising safety concerns that reflect growing questions about food production, the polling firm said.

"Even if you trust in the food that you eat, in the back of your mind, you're maybe wondering how it's prepared, where it came from, those kinds of things," noted senior research manager Sean Simpson.

Some 37% believe that Canadian food is more expensive than imported food, but almost 70% were willing to pay more for it. Almost 60% agreed that importing food from all over the world is bad for the environment.

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The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE