Survey: Nutrition information abounds, but Americans doubt food choices
Americans are consuming food information from more sources than ever before, yet our nutritional literacy is sorely lacking—and our health may be suffering as a result.
Americans are consuming food information from more sources than ever before, yet our nutritional literacy is sorely lacking—and our health may be suffering as a result. Those are among the findings of the International Food Information Council Foundation’s (IFICs) 12th Annual Food and Health Survey.
Most Americans—eight in 10 (78%)—say that they encounter a lot of conflicting information about what to eat/avoid, and more than half of those (56%) say the conflicting information makes them doubt the choices they make. Almost all consumers (96%) seek out health benefits from what they eat and drink (the top benefits being weight loss, cardiovascular health, energy, and digestive health), but out of those, only 45% could identify a single food or nutrient associated with those benefits. For example, while sources of omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil can contribute to heart health, just 12% made an association between them.
So why are Americans confused? For one, despite their best intentions, the people we’re closest to might be leading us astray. In short, consumers paradoxically rely heavily on information from individuals—family and friends—for whom there is little trust. About three-quarters of consumers (77%) say they rely on friends and family at least a little for both nutrition and food safety information, which tops other sources including health professionals, news, and the internet. But only 29% have high trust in family or friends as information sources, far behind sources such as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, other health or fitness professionals, and health-related websites.
The Food and Health Survey also suggests that consumers might be paying too much or making flawed decisions about nutrition because of non-health factors—or mental shortcuts—that drastically alter our perception of what is healthful. These factors include the form of the food (fresh, frozen, canned), place of purchase (e.g., convenience store versus natural food store), the length of the ingredient list, and price, among others—and they drive perceptions of healthfulness even between two foods with identical nutrition information.
For example, even with nutritionally identical products, consumers are almost five times as likely to believe a fresh product is healthier than canned and four times as likely to believe a fresh product is healthier than frozen. Consumers also are more likely to believe a product that costs $2 is healthier than an otherwise identical product that costs 99 cents.