Dietary guidance recommends that 20-35 percent of calories come from dietary fats to promote good health and that unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) comprise the majority of intake, while saturated and trans fat should be decreased. But, is this the recommendation that has been implemented by consumers?
Quantitative consumer research helped illuminate this question. According to the 2007 IFIC Foundation Food & Health Survey, 72 percent of consumers indicate that they are concerned with both the amount and types of fats they consume, which is up from 66 percent last year. Along these lines, consumers say that they have received the message that trans and saturated fats are not good for them. In fact, 75 percent say they are limiting their consumption of trans fat, compared to 54 percent in 2006. However, they do not know whether monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are “good” or “bad.” As a result, awareness of both of these healthful fats has declined over the past year, and the number of Americans who say they are trying to consume less polyunsaturated fats increased to 42 percent from 33 percent in 2006!
Qualitative research shows that consumers think that fats are the most confusing nutrient on the nutrition label and therefore they struggle to put this information into practical use. Additionally, the word “fat” has negative connotations for consumers, such as “ugly,” “obesity,” “heart attack,” and “death.” Nevertheless, consumers feel that they should be doing something and they feel that consistent and basic education can help clarify the messages in the environment and increase understanding of the role fats play in health.
Clearly over the past few decades, dietary fat has been thought of in a negative light. Based on this long-held and reinforced belief, consumers report being more concerned about fat than other nutrients. Consequently, the IFIC Foundation evaluated the information consumers have been receiving about fats over the past decade to help shed light on potential reasons for this. The results were very telling.
The environmental scan looked at Internet information, consumer research conducted by IFIC and others, and media coverage of dietary fats. The scan revealed that consumers are predominately exposed to negative messages about fats, which in turn affect knowledge, attitudes, and reported behavior.
Given overwhelming confusion about how to follow dietary guidance for fats, the IFIC Foundation plans to conduct further research to help close this gap. In the meantime, it will be vital to incorporate the positive rather than just the negative—a concept for which consumers are primed.
The full report of 2007 qualitative and quantitative research, as well as other studies on fats is now available on the IFIC Foundation Web site at: http://www.ific.org/publications/other/dietaryfatsresources.cfm.
