With consumer fears escalating about potentially harmful ingredients in food and personal care products, a survey from Daymon Worldwide, Stamford, Conn., reveals that 40% of consumers have lost enjoyment of the foods they eat due to safety and quality concerns, and many are actively seeking stores that offer product alternatives. Nearly twice as many parents as non-parents report these anxieties, according to the study.

“Our study digs deeper into consumer behaviors to find out exactly which ingredients and additives cause them the most concern, how that’s changed in the last five years and what they’re willing to do to avoid them,” says Janet Oak, head of global advisory and custom shopper insights. “Not surprisingly, consumers are most concerned about ingredients that might cause cancer, such as pesticides, fertilizers and unnecessary additives and preservatives. To avoid risk, consumers are much more likely to visit a grocery retailer or a farmers' market than a mass merchandiser, and are even more willing to make things from scratch.”