Playing The Long Game: Why Progress On Food, Nutrition & Health Takes Persistence, Patience & Positivity
For the second time in fifteen years, the importance of good nutrition beginning in childhood is at the forefront of national politics. In 2010, Michelle Obama launched Let’s Move!, a campaign aimed at solving childhood obesity within a generation. Today, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement takes up the mantle, focusing on decreasing diet-related chronic diseases in children, including obesity. What may feel like déjà vu is actually an important reminder: while the names and faces may change, nutrition remains a powerful and enduring public health priority.
The benefits of consuming nutrient-dense diets are undeniable – longevity, greater productivity, improved quality of life, and lower healthcare costs, to name just a few. Simply put: eating well matters. Good nutrition must begin in childhood. And, Americans still have a long way to go before realizing the health and well-being benefits of greater diet quality.
These are facts that most of us can agree on. Where consensus often falters is in how to empower and support Americans to eat healthier, so that they can be healthier.
Discerning Disruption From Chaos
What do we do if our efforts to increase diet quality in the U.S. have been unsuccessful? Some people are fans of disruption – I’m one of them. Disruption can be a powerful catalyst for change when rooted in science, data, and an understanding of human behavior. Others call for scrapping current approaches entirely. This approach can be less helpful as improving public health while also preserving public trust takes time and energy as well as some degree of consistency. In addition, changing long-standing habits and achieving measurable and meaningful gains at the population level often spans generations.
Making America Healthier
At IFIC, our north star is the consumer. If we can appreciate where Americans stand –perceptions, emotions, intentions, and behaviors – on key food and nutrition issues, we can more effectively facilitate healthier habits. Our latest research focuses on dietary guidance and food labeling and builds upon trended research from two decades of the annual IFIC Food & Health Survey. The following consumer insights from this research can serve as signposts on the road to healthier diet patterns in the U.S.:
- Americans are interested in nutrition and are motivated to eat better. A rising trend since 2018, the majority of consumers say they have followed a specific diet in the past year – indicating a willingness to change eating behaviors. Further, Americans report that their diets are healthier today than in 2020. Before we spike the ball in celebration, however, it’s also important to note that consumers run optimistic about their own nutrition. For instance, when asked to grade the healthfulness of their diet compared to the average American, most respondents give themselves a B and the average person a C.
- Dietary guidance and nutrition education tools have broken through. Significantly more respondents are aware of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) this year compared to last, with more than four in 10 consumers saying they know at least a fair amount about them. Additionally, more than half of Americans report knowing at least a fair amount about MyPlate – an all-time high.
- Food labeling hits the spot. Americans overwhelmingly say the amount of information currently provided on food and beverage packaging is just right. Further – and this is huge – 90% say they use food labels to guide their decision-making.
- Consumers crave positive, actionable messaging. Close to two-thirds of respondents express interest in hearing about what to eat, rather than what not to eat. Further, half are interested in hearing about how to eat, instead of what not to eat.
Taking Action Now
Food and nutrition are increasingly front and center – both in our news feeds and in public discourse. Yet it remains a topic vulnerable to misinformation and consumer confusion, especially when politicized.
The latest data show encouraging trends: more consumers are aware of dietary guidance and MyPlate, and a growing majority actively use the Nutrition Facts label. Importantly, among those who use the food label, most report balancing attention on what they want to consume less of and what they want to consume more of. Given the dual challenge of under- and over-consumed nutrients of public health concern, this is promising.
Still, public health nutrition advances are often measured in decades, rather than days or even months. And while Americans are interested and engaged, they are more likely to respond when guidance is accessible, actionable, and framed in a positive way. That makes our role as food and nutrition professionals critical. Because healthy habits are built and not stumbled upon, meeting consumers where they are – providing tools, knowledge, and encouragement – is the best way to achieve and sustain better diet quality. Now is the time for policymakers and health professionals to double down on evidence-based communication that is constructive and actionable, and free of fear and judgment