A new survey has found that the horsemeat scandal has left a lasting impact on the habits of Irish shoppers. The survey commissioned by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) found that 51% of Irish shoppers are buying fewer frozen burgers.

42% of people said they have cut down on buying frozen meals in general, while 50% said they were more conscious about food safety in general. 45% said they now pay more attention to the labels on food.

Over half (53%) say they are now more conscious of the ingredients that go into manufactured food products, while 56% say they are more conscious about the country of origin of food products.

Of those who bought processed foods containing meat in the past, 42% say they now buy less of these products, while 56% continue to buy the same amount.

Buying habits were broadly unchanged for fresh burgers, with 69% saying they buy the same amount as before. Almost 39% of those who consume meat say they were concerned as the issue unfolded, while 61% were unconcerned.

Of those who were concerned, the reasons cited were

• Concern about what else might be unknowingly in other meat products (88%)
• Concern about the presence of chemicals, medicines and antibiotics (86%)
• Concern about food safety (83%) and possible health risks (76%)
• Repulsion by the idea of eating horse meat (55%)

Commenting on the research findings Chief Executive of the FSAI Prof. Alan Reilly said "When buying processed foods, people are not in a position to identify what raw materials are used and, therefore, they rely on labelling as their only source of information. They are in effect putting their trust in the hands of manufacturers and retailers who have a legal obligation to ensure that all ingredients in their products are correctly labelled".

"A key lesson for food businesses is that they must have robust supplier controls in place at all times to ensure that they know who is supplying them and that all products and all ingredients are authentic" he added.