2019 IFIC Food & Health Survey: Spotlight On Gen X Consumers

Generation X got its name because it was considered to be harder to describe or understand—think “planet X” or “the X factor”—than their much-studied Baby Boomer predecessors. With Gen Xers (ages 40 to 55) now in middle age, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), released a new survey that examines their food and health attitudes, with a particular focus on their behaviors and perceptions related to diet and cancer risk Among the findings: American Gen-X consumers are much more focused on weight loss than other age groups, a strong majority believes that lifestyle factors have at least some impact on the risk of developing cancer, and nearly half say their food and beverage purchases are impacted by whether they might reduce the risk of developing cancer. “With middle age comes more attention to our health and what we eat,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation. “Our research suggests that Gen Xers have distinct ideas about the relationships between our diets and diseases that are manifested in their food choices and behaviors.” The results supplement the IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey—released in May—of the broader adult population (ages 18 to 80). It follows earlier in-depth looks at Baby Boomers and Millennials. “From our extensive scientific research, we know that around 40% of cancers are preventable and that being at a healthy weight is the single biggest lifestyle step to protect against cancer,” says AICR Director of Nutrition Programs Sheena Patel Swanner. “It’s great to see that the 2019 Food and Health Survey indicates that nearly half of all Gen X consumers say their purchases are impacted by whether a food/beverage might reduce their risk of developing cancer. Now is a better time than ever to continue […]

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Interest in Sustainability, Plant-Based Diets Among Trends in IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food & Health Survey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 22, 2019 DOWNLOAD THE SURVEY (Washington, D.C.)—Topics like sustainability, plant-based diets and clean eating seem to permeate news about food, but it turns out they’re not just buzzwords or “flavors of the week.” IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey shows genuine and growing interest in these and other trends. The 2019 edition marks the 14th consecutive year that IFIC Foundation has surveyed American consumers to understand their perceptions, beliefs and behaviors around food and food-purchasing decisions. Sustained Interest in Sustainability Previous Food and Health Surveys asked consumers about their views on sustainability, but their interpretations of the concept varied. This year’s Food & Health Survey gets more specific by asking consumers what they look for in order to know whether a product is environmentally sustainable. Every year the survey identifies leading factors that impact food and beverage purchases. Every Survey has seen “taste” reign supreme and in 2019 the trend continues. Deemed important by 86% of consumers, the impact of taste on purchasing decisions is up significantly from 81% in 2018. Other factors such as “price” (68%), “healthfulness” (62%) and “convenience” (57%) held steady. “Sustainability” as a purchase driver registered in the mid- to high-30 percentages through the years, but the 2019 refinement to “environmental sustainability” resulted in a drop to 27%, indicating that consumers may think of more than the environment when it comes to sustainability. Regardless of the impact on purchasing decisions, over half of consumers (54%) say it’s at least somewhat important that the products they buy be produced in an environmentally sustainable way. Among those 54%, many look for specific labels or attributes to assess whether they believe a product is environmentally sustainable: 51% perceive products that are locally produced as environmentally sustainable, followed by products literally labeled as sustainably produced […]

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Food, Health and the Gen X-Factor: A Generation Concerned About Weight and Relationships Between Diet and Disease

Download the full report. (Washington, D.C.)—Generation X got its name because it was considered to be harder to describe or understand—think “planet X” or “the X factor”—than their much-studied Baby Boomer predecessors. With Gen Xers (ages 40 to 55) now in middle age, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, in partnership with the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), released a new survey that examines their food and health attitudes, with a particular focus on their behaviors and perceptions related to diet and cancer risk. Among the findings: American Gen-X consumers are much more focused on weight loss than other age groups, a strong majority believes that lifestyle factors have at least some impact on the risk of developing cancer, and nearly half say their food and beverage purchases are impacted by whether they might reduce the risk of developing cancer. “With middle age comes more attention to our health and what we eat,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation. “Our research suggests that Gen Xers have distinct ideas about the relationships between our diets and diseases that are manifested in their food choices and behaviors.” The results supplement the IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey—released in May—of the broader adult population (ages 18 to 80). It follows earlier in-depth looks at Baby Boomers and Millennials. “From our extensive scientific research, we know that around 40% of cancers are preventable and that being at a healthy weight is the single biggest lifestyle step to protect against cancer,” says AICR Director of Nutrition Programs Sheena Patel Swanner. “It’s great to see that the 2019 Food and Health Survey indicates that nearly half of all Gen X consumers say their purchases are impacted by whether a food/beverage might reduce their risk of developing cancer. Now is a better […]

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Interest in Sustainability, Plant-Based Diets Among Trends in IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food & Health Survey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 22, 2019 DOWNLOAD THE SURVEY (Washington, D.C.)—Topics like sustainability, plant-based diets and clean eating seem to permeate news about food, but it turns out they’re not just buzzwords or “flavors of the week.” IFIC Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey shows genuine and growing interest in these and other trends. The 2019 edition marks the 14th consecutive year that IFIC Foundation has surveyed American consumers to understand their perceptions, beliefs and behaviors around food and food-purchasing decisions. Sustained Interest in Sustainability Previous Food and Health Surveys asked consumers about their views on sustainability, but their interpretations of the concept varied. This year’s Food & Health Survey gets more specific by asking consumers what they look for in order to know whether a product is environmentally sustainable. Every year the survey identifies leading factors that impact food and beverage purchases. Every Survey has seen “taste” reign supreme and in 2019 the trend continues. Deemed important by 86% of consumers, the impact of taste on purchasing decisions is up significantly from 81% in 2018. Other factors such as “price” (68%), “healthfulness” (62%) and “convenience” (57%) held steady. “Sustainability” as a purchase driver registered in the mid- to high-30 percentages through the years, but the 2019 refinement to “environmental sustainability” resulted in a drop to 27%, indicating that consumers may think of more than the environment when it comes to sustainability. Regardless of the impact on purchasing decisions, over half of consumers (54%) say it’s at least somewhat important that the products they buy be produced in an environmentally sustainable way. Among those 54%, many look for specific labels or attributes to assess whether they believe a product is environmentally sustainable: 51% perceive products that are locally produced as environmentally sustainable, followed by products literally labeled as sustainably produced […]

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Food Safety Precautions During Extreme Weather

When extreme weather conditions result in environmental hazards such as flooding, it is important to still practice food safety measures to help support your health. Safe food handling precautions are important under optimal conditions, but they should also be practiced under stressed, emergency conditions as well. In addition to these actions, there are more considerations to be mindful of in cases of long and short-term power outages. Keep in the Cold Remember to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during power outages to maintain the cold temperature. Use appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer to help determine if food is safe during power outages. Refrigerator temperature should be 40° F or lower and the freezer should be 0° F or lower. Without power, a refrigerator will likely keep food at a safe temperature for about four hours if the doors are kept closed.  Without power, a full freezer will stay cold for 48 hours, and a half-full freezer will stay cold for about a day. Smell Won’t Tell Do not rely on the appearance or smell of a food item to determine its safety.  It’s important to use a thermometer to determine a food’s safety. If a thermometer was not kept inside the freezer to gauge temperature, use a food thermometer on each item to determine safety.  For items in the freezer to be safe to re-freeze or prep consume, they should have an internal temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  If meats, eggs or leftovers have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours, throw them out. When in Doubt, Throw it out If you are unsure about the safety of food items that were in your refrigerator or freezer during a power outage or anytime, THROW IT OUT! We typically encourage not wasting food, but in […]

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The Holidays: Celebrating With Safety

The weather is getting cooler, and as fall and winter holidays approach, many of us are thinking about how we can celebrate with friends, family and food in a safe manner. In addition to the many traditional food safety precautions we should plan to follow, this year there are more adjustments we can make to support our celebrations with pandemic preparedness. The following food safety tips will help you celebrate while avoiding food safety faux pas. Read on for ways you can make sure that foodborne illness and COVID-19 know they are not invited to the party! Talking turkey: Thawing, cooking, and avoiding foodborne illness Turkey and other types of poultry and meat are popular choices for family meals during this time of year—but it’s important to consume them safely. Eating raw or undercooked poultry (and meat) can lead to foodborne illness, which can be very serious. Foodborne illness from undercooked or raw poultry can be caused by Campylobacter, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella. Symptoms of related foodborne illnesses can vary from person to person but are usually associated with nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting (as well as dehydration in many cases). If you purchase a turkey in advance of your holiday celebration, a great way to keep it fresh and safe before you are ready to cook it is by freezing it. After freezing, proper defrosting techniques are needed to ensure quality and safety. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advises that the proper way to thaw a turkey or any other type of meat is NOT to leave it out at room temperature or anywhere else that might fluctuate in temperature. Instead, there are three ways to thaw poultry and meat safely: in a refrigerator, in cold water, or […]

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Food Safety Precautions During Extreme Weather

When extreme weather conditions result in hazards such as power outages, it is extra important to practice food safety measures to help support your health. Safe food handling precautions are important under optimal conditions, but they should also be practiced under stressed, emergency conditions as well. In addition to these actions, there are more considerations to be mindful of in cases of long and short-term power outages. Keep in the Cold Remember to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during power outages to maintain the cold temperature. Use appliance thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer to help determine if food is safe during power outages. Refrigerator temperature should be 40° F or lower and the freezer should be 0° F or lower. Without power, a refrigerator will likely keep food at a safe temperature for about four hours if the doors are kept closed.  Without power, a full freezer will stay cold for 48 hours, and a half-full freezer will stay cold for about a day. Smell Won’t Tell Do not rely on the appearance or smell of a food item to determine its safety.  It’s important to use a thermometer to determine a food’s safety. If a thermometer was not kept inside the freezer to gauge temperature, use a food thermometer on each item to determine safety.  For items in the freezer to be safe to re-freeze or prep consume, they should have an internal temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  If meats, eggs or leftovers have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours, throw them out. When in Doubt, Throw it out If you are unsure about the safety of food items that were in your refrigerator or freezer during a power outage or anytime, THROW IT OUT! We typically encourage not wasting food, but in […]

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What A Pediatric Nutrition Expert Says About Baby Food and Infant Formula

In light of a recent wave of media coverage related to a report stating that “alarming” levels of arsenic, lead and cadmium were found in baby food, we called a pediatric nutrition expert to help us navigate this news cycle. Dr. Keith T. Ayoob, a pediatric nutritionist and registered dietitian at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, answered our questions about the safety of baby food currently on the market today. Here are Dr. Ayoob’s tips for parents: Based on the recent report, is there any reason to change a child’s diet? Not really. I wouldn’t change my recommendations about baby food, infant formula or a child’s diet based on one report. I also have strong concerns about it.  It’s not clear why the study and results were not submitted to a peer-reviewed journal of experts where toxicologists and other professionals could review the data, the findings and the context for the conclusions. For example, what trace amounts of metal have been found in baby food?  So, if they are detected in baby food, is this something new?  Wouldn’t the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pull these products off the market? Wouldn’t we see a public health outbreak?  My experience and skills tell me this is not something new or anything to be alarmed about.  Peer-review would help ensure that any conclusions would be placed in the proper context whereas this latest incredible-to-believe piece of work got smeared across our media and news outlets without any context for the consumer. It troubles me to see the rapid spread of misinformation as a clinician who sees children regularly. I have the responsibility for giving evidence-based advice to parents and caregivers of all economic and cultural backgrounds.  Just as troubling is an organization can advocate for “greater transparency” on labels, yet doesn’t […]

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