Have you ever wondered what’s on the minds of consumers as they shop in the grocery store? Research from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and the IFIC Foundation suggests that it’s more than just what’s for dinner that consumers care about. In fact, many have a host of interests like heart health, stronger bones, digestive health, and cholesterol counts on their minds as they push their cart through the grocery isles.
The IFIC Foundation Food & Health Survey is the latest in an annual series of surveys designed to provide ongoing insights into how consumers view their own diets, their efforts to improve them, and their understanding of the components they incorporate into their diets. In 2007, new questions were asked to explore consumer awareness and interest in foods and beverages with added health and wellness benefits that may contribute to physical health or a sense of wellbeing.
The majority of Americans (80 percent) rate their health status as “excellent” or “very good,” yet significantly fewer (58 percent) say they are “somewhat” or “extremely satisfied” with their health status. This gap indicates that many Americans, who consider themselves to be healthy also perceive room for improvement. In fact, almost two-thirds of Americans say they are making changes to improve the healthfulness of their diets in an effort to improve overall well-being (70 percent), physical health (65 percent), and to lose weight (70 percent). Some Americans are making changes to improve the healthfulness of their diet by increasing consumption of specific foods and beverages (36 percent).
The majority of consumers believe in benefits offered by specific foods and beverages, including improving heart health (80 percent); maintaining overall health and wellness (77 percent); improving physical energy or stamina (76 percent); and improving digestive health (76 percent), among others. More than 80 percent of Americans say they are currently consuming or would be interested in consuming foods or beverages for these added benefits as well as others.
When it comes to making purchase decisions, taste still rules. However, since the 2006 survey, significantly more consumers cite the healthfulness of a product (65 percent) as a factor that influences their decision to purchase a food or beverage—behind taste (88 percent) and price (72 percent). Convenience was also mentioned by 55 percent of consumers. Therefore, products that are both healthful and convenient and yet also provide great taste will likely be those most accepted by consumers.
These highlights from the 2007 IFIC Foundation Food & Health Survey supplement a larger consumer research project that looks at consumer attitudes toward foods that provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition, or “functional foods.” Such health-promoting foods can range from broccoli to fortified foods, such as calcium-fortified orange juice, to soy-based products to nutritional supplements. The 2007 IFIC Functional Foods/Foods for Health Consumer Trending Survey, a quantitative Web-based survey of 1,000 U.S. adults 18 years and older, marks nearly a decade of IFIC consumer insights in this area of food and nutrition.
Americans’ Top Health Concerns
One of the most intriguing findings is how consumers continue to prioritize their health concerns. Prior to 2005, IFIC research found that the top health concerns for consumers were cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer, with concerns about being overweight a distant third. Now, in the age of obesity hyperawareness, weight has climbed to the number two health concern for consumers, just behind CVD. However, the percent of consumers mentioning weight as a top health concern has remained stable with 33 percent of consumers concerned in 2007 versus 34 percent of consumers in 2005. Heart-related and circulatory conditions, including general heart health, blood pressure, stroke, and high cholesterol remain top health concerns of consumers overall at 53 percent; cancer, coming in third, is mentioned by 24 percent of consumers.
A majority (63 percent) of Americans remain confident that they have a “great amount” of control over their own health. Consumers overwhelmingly believe food and nutrition play “a great role” in maintaining or improving overall health (75 percent) and are interested in learning more about the healthful components in food (83 percent). Additionally, consumers believe that exercise and family genetics also play a role in maintaining or improving their health.
Whole Foods versus Specific Food Components
As in past surveys, consumers more easily identify certain foods, such as fish, milk, broccoli, and carrots, as providing a benefit to their health beyond basic nutrition. These foods, along with whole grains, green tea, and certain herbs and spices, are getting more coverage in the environment through media stories, advertisements, food labels, health professionals, and other channels of consumer communication.
When asked on an unaided basis, the top 10 “functional foods” that consumers named in the 2007 quantitative survey were:
- fruits and vegetables
- fish, fish oil, seafood
- milk and other dairy products
- whole grains, including oats, oat bran, and oatmeal
- fiber
- green tea
- meat
- water
- certain herbs and spices
- nuts
“Our survey results show that consumers want to make wiser dietary choices based on a desire to improve their overall well-being and their physical health,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RD, and director of health and nutrition for IFIC. “Consumers may not be able to tell you exactly what nutritional components they’re seeking when they shop for fruits and vegetables or fish, but they can tell you why they’re doing it. It’s because there’s a strong food and health benefit connection at work.”
It is not surprising that consumers more readily mention certain foods that contain beneficial components rather than the components themselves. For example, consumers understand that tomatoes, tomato sauce, strawberries, and watermelon can provide a health benefit, but they may not be able to articulate that lycopene is one of the beneficial components that they all have in common. Cross-promotion of foods containing specific components and nutrients provides consumers with choices and may contribute to increased awareness and consumption over time.
Health, Wellness, and Food Connections
When asked, on an unaided basis, what foods may reduce the risk of disease or improve health, nine out of 10 consumers (92 percent) can name a health/diet pairing relationship. This number has remained relatively stable from 2005 with 91 percent able to name a relationship; however it is up significantly versus 1998, when only 77 percent of consumers were able to name a health/diet pair. Clearly consumers have become more aware of foods and beneficial components that can promote health.
When prompted with a list of nutrients and examples of foods they are found in, the top health/diet pair, mentioned by 89 percent of respondents, was calcium for bone health. Other top pairs included fiber for maintaining a healthy digestive system (86 percent), vitamin D for the promotion of bone health (81 percent), and omega-3 fatty acids for reduced risk of heart disease (76 percent) among others. Consumer awareness of these health/diet pairings can be traced to long-held associations about certain foods as well as increased exposure to messages about components of food where science has evolved to show health benefits.
Some health/diet pairings that are gaining awareness among consumers include probiotics for maintaining a healthy digestive system (58 percent vs. 49 percent in 2005) and immune system (54 percent vs. 46 percent in 2005), and soy protein/soy for reduced risk of heart disease (55 percent vs. 41 percent in 2005).
Awareness versus Consumption Behaviors
The level of awareness of health/diet pairs correlates with consumption of these foods. For example, of the respondents who are aware of the link between calcium and maintaining bone health, 56 percent said they are already consuming foods that contain calcium, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, or calcium-fortified foods and beverages. Still, between 47 to 59 percent of consumers are not currently consuming foods or beverages for a specific health benefit, such as improving digestive health, providing higher levels of satiety, or improved immune function, but would be interested in doing so. Clear and concise communication strategies that clarify the benefits of foods and beverages can increase the likelihood that consumers would try a food or beverage to improve their health.
Meeting Consumers Where They Get Their Information
Media outlets, especially the Internet, are the top sources of information about health and nutrition, but people still look to their physician for guidance. Fifty-two percent of respondents get their health and nutrition information from the “Web” or “Internet” followed by their physician (35 percent), television news (27 percent), magazines (26 percent), and friends and family (18 percent). However, when asked on an aided basis who is the most influential source of information regarding food and food components, 56 percent said health professionals, followed by dietitians (44 percent), health associations (37 percent), food labels (23 percent), and Internet articles (17 percent).
As more and more consumers get their health and nutrition information from the mass media, it is important for everyone in the communication chain to provide the most scientifically accurate information possible. Consumers often say one of the reasons they do not make healthful lifestyle changes is because messages are often conflicting, and they desire more personalized information on how to make diet and physical activity changes that “fit” their lifestyles. This research indicates that consumers are primed for personalized messages about health-promoting foods. Science, coupled with a good understanding of consumer knowledge, is the foundation upon which effective food and health communications are built. Understanding both of these elements is paramount for creating credible messages that will resonate with consumers and ultimately increase their desire for foods that taste great and provide optimum health benefits too.
The more detailed findings from the 2007 IFIC Functional Foods/Foods for Health Survey are available at: http://www.ific.org/research/funcfoodsres07.cfm.
