The survey polled more than 1,000 consumers this past month and found that almost 80 percent of people believe that food producers are taking the necessary steps to make sure meat is safe for grilling. Also, 87 percent thought an animal's diet could have an impact on food safety.

"We're entering the season where Americans turn to the grill to prepare their meals, and food safety is top-of-mind," said Chuck Warta, president, Cargill Premix and Nutrition. "It's clear that consumers continue to care very deeply about where their food comes from and how it is raised, and they are increasingly aware that safety actually begins on the farm with what is in an animal's diet."

Cargill said it would continue to research how the health and well-being of animals can positively impact food safety. 

Additional results from the Feed4Thought survey concluded that 72 percent of respondents grill during the summer and 41 percent of people grill at least once a week. 

Some favorite grilling options included steak (42 percent), hamburgers (25 percent), chicken (18 percent) and pork chops/ribs (12 percent).
Seventy-nine percent of surveyors indicated they grill their meat to proper temperatures and 38 percent read packaging labels for inspection and certification information.

A full summary of the survey can be found here.