A new Gallup poll released earlier this month shows that Americans are more vigilant about food safety warnings but still have confidence in foods sold in grocery stores and restaurants.

The Dec. 8-10 telephone poll of 1,004 adults showed that Americans maintain a high level of confidence in the safety of foods they eat, despite news in recent months of contaminated bagged spinach sold in grocery stores and the Taco Bell incident.

Eighty-seven percent of Americans said they are confident that foods sold at most grocery stores are safe to eat, and 74 percent responded the same about foods served at restaurants. The latest findings are consistent with earlier Gallup polls that have found shoppers more confident in store-bought foods than in restaurant-served meals.

The poll shows that recent events are not causing Americans to panic. The outbreaks also do not appear to be weakening people's view of the government's muscle to safeguard the food supply. Eight-two percent of people said they have at least a fair amount of confidence in the federal government to ensure the safety of the food supply, and another 22 percent said they have a great deal of confidence.

But what has changed is people paying more attention to food safety warnings and nutritional requirements than they did five years ago. Seventy- one percent said they paid "a lot" or a "fair amount" of attention to these things. In 2003, only 56 percent said they paid much attention, a difference that may be due to the latest outbreaks or the increasing emphasis on food safety and nutrition by the popular media, said Gallup.

Women are more likely than men to pay attention to news about food, by an 81 percent to 61 percent margin, and they are paying more attention than they did five years ago.

Finally, a growing number of Americans said they were "actively" trying to avoid trans fat and sugars, while 91 percent of people said they were trying to include more vegetables in their diet.