Americans are hungry for more information about their food, and the media are standing by with the spoon. In the last year, significant numbers of Americans have changed their minds or behaviors around food and nutrition issues, and the media are a top driver of those changes, according to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2016 Food and Health Survey, “Food Decision 2016: The Impact of a Growing National Food Dialogue.”
The survey asked whether Americans’ opinions had changed about a number of dietary components. An average of 31% changed their minds about at least one of them, for better or worse. In most cases, media headlines and articles were at or near the top of the sources that altered consumers’ opinions.
This year, 47% of Americans said they look at the ingredients list on foods or beverage packages when deciding what to purchase, up from 40% in 2015. When Americans define what makes a food healthy, it’s becoming more about what isn’t in a food rather than what is in it. Thirty-five percent of Americans define a “healthy” food as one that does not contain (or has low levels) of certain components such as fat and sugar, the top response when asked in an open-ended question.
When given a list of attributes that describe a “healthy eating style,” 51% of consumers chose “the right mix of different foods,” followed by “limited or no artificial ingredients or preservatives” (41%). However, it should be noted that just 2% of consumers identified limited or no artificial ingredients or preservatives as a top consideration when not given a list. “Moderation/serving size and portions” topped the open-ended responses (26%) for healthy eating styles, followed by “includes certain foods I define as healthy” (25%).
The definitions of healthy and natural foods are also being conflated. According to the survey, “natural” food is most often associated with having no preservatives or additives (29% of respondents), having ingredients that come straight from nature and whole foods (19%), or having no artificial ingredients or flavors (17%).
