Food Politics » Surveys

The latest survey: consumers want healthy foods!

Marion — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:02:39 +0000

Ordinarily, I don’t pay much attention to consumer surveys because the results are so dependent on the way the questions are asked and who gets polled. But this one, conducted by StrategicOne and sent to me by Edelman Public Relations, is relatively uncomplicated.

It asks three questions (top responses, order of priority):

Which ONE of the following best describes the way in which you primarily think about food in your life? Health 23%, connection 18%, fuel 15%, love 12%, pride 11%.

How important is it to you that each of the following food sources have specific initiatives focused on health, wellness and nutrition for people consuming their products? Supermarkets 91%, food producers 90%, packaged food companies 83%, casual dining restaurants 81%, fast food 68%.

How important is it to you that a food company have each of the following types of initiatives? Healthy foods that taste great 94%, health foods 92%, nutrition information 92%, community social responsibility 89%, front-of-package nutrition information 88%, fewer ingredients 75%.

People may not agree about they way they think about food, but it sounds like the respondents to this survey want the foods offered in supermarkets and restaurants to just take care of the health issues for them. Good idea.

What We Eat in America: Latest Info

Marion — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:04:24 +0000

I’ve long argued that finding out what people eat is the most intellectually challenging aspect of nutrition research. To put it bluntly, everybody lies. OK. We don’t lie. We just can’t remember or estimate portion sizes accurately. For years, government agencies have gone to great trouble and done the best they can to get some reasonable idea of what Americans actually eat. They report the results as “What We Eat in America.” The data may not be perfect (they almost certainly underestimate actual intake), but they are the best we have and always of great interest.

I always like to know what is going on with calories. The USDA’s most recent data are from 2005-2006. These show that women on average consume 1785 calories a day, men 2638, and together 2157. These figures are based on intake reported for 24 hours and almost certainly underestimate real calorie intake by one-third or more. Compare these figures to calorie production, which is now 4000 per capita per day! (See Table 1). The truth undoubtedly lies somewhere in between and all we can do is make good guesses.

USDA files its dietary intake reports under Products & Services. Its latest looks at intake of four nutrients: calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and magnesium. In comparison to dietary reference intakes (DRIs), Americans eat pretty well. The low magnesium intake makes me wonder if the DRI for that nutrient is too high, but I tend to be skeptical about such things.

Everything about these reports requires much careful interpretation, since every element of obtaining dietary intake information is fraught with error. Better methods would help a lot. If only we could figure out how to do this better. A challenge, indeed.

Gosh. Consumers don’t trust the food supply

Marion — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:02:42 +0000

I didn’t know that IBM was in the survey business but apparently it has just asked people what they think about the safety of the food supply. Fewer than 20% of the 1,000 people who responded said (what a surpise) that they trusted food companies to make safe and healthful foods.

More than 60% said they were worried about food safety and – this one really does surprise me – 83% could name a food that was recalled in the past two years, mostly peanut butter.

IBM’s conclusion? “These findings underscore how the rise in recalls and contamination has significantly eroded consumer confidence in food and product safety, as well as with the companies that manufacture and distribute these products.” No kidding.

Now if Congress would only pay attention and do the right thing.

Consumers Union: little trust in food supply

Marion — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:34:43 +0000

A survey by Consumers Union finds a huge majority of respondents to want more inspection of domestic and imported foods, better country-of-origin labeling, and labeling of genetically modified and cloned foods. Me too.

Consumer surveys are always fun

Marion — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:36:35 +0000

And this one is international. Ketchum Public Relations asked about 1000 people in the U.S., the U.K, Germany, Argentina, and China what they thought about a bunch of issues about food choice. The results are interesting, if not particularly credible. For example, 44% say they are confused about which foods are good for them, and only 30% or so would rank profit as the highest priority if they were CEO of a global food company. That’s the difference between consumers and people who go to business school, I guess. Enjoy and have a sane weekend.

What Americans worry about when they worry about food

Marion — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:42:14 +0000

The latest consumer survey from the International Food Information Council has arrived, along with its press release. When it comes to food, Americans say one thing but do another (no surprise, this). The respondents to this survey are confused about calories, sugars, and fats, are buying lots of functional foods (although not as many as marketers would like), are not exercising enough, and are not taking nearly enough responsibility for food safety. For those of you interested in public health nutrition, there is much work to be done. Get busy!

Want to know where food comes from?

Marion — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 13:16:27 +0000

If so, you are not alone, according to a recent Zogby poll. Just about everyone responding to the poll not only would like country of origin labeling, but believes American have a right to know where food comes from. Do you agree? Write your congressional representatives!