IFIC Spotlight Survey: A Second Look At COVID-19’s Impact On Food Purchasing, Eating Behaviors & Perceptions Of Food Safety

In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has been entrenched in our daily lives for over two months. In the midst of its impact on the health of many and the lives of everyone, the way we’re thinking and acting around food and food safety continues to evolve. We conducted our first consumer research on COVID-19’s effects on shopping for food, eating habits and perspectives on food safety in early April. This most recent survey, fielded May 7th to May 12th, serves as a follow-up to this initial research. It tracks several questions asked previously in April and asks new ones to help us better capture the full scale of the pandemic’s effects on how we think and feel about food in these ever-changing times. Key findings include:  

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Food Additives and Ingredients: Resources You Can Use

Can you imagine your favorite savory snack without a dash of salt or a smoothie that isn’t smooth? I’m sure it’s difficult for you, just as it is for me.  We buy our favorite foods because of the way they taste, look, feel and cost.  Food additives and ingredients are responsible for some of the attributes of food that we’ve grown to love over the years.  Food additive and ingredients in the U.S. are deemed safe by the U.S. FDA and other global authoritative bodies such as EFSA.  These resources have been collected to help everyone understand the role and function of food additives and ingredients and what they do in our food. Food Ingredients and Colors Brochure For centuries, ingredients have served useful functions in a variety of foods. Our ancestors used salt to preserve meats and fish, added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of foods, preserved fruit with sugar, and pickled cucumbers in a vinegar solution. Today, consumers demand and enjoy a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, safe, convenient, colorful and affordable. Food additives and advances in technology help make that possible.  This brochure in partnership with the U.S. FDA is your guide to understand the role of ingredients, colors and flavors in food. Color Me Red:  New Studies on Food Coloring Safety Did you know food coloring can be made using natural and artificial ingredients? Both of which are safe and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These colorings are used in a variety of foods, not just baked goods, but they are also safely used in ice cream, yogurt, soft drinks, cereals, sausage casings, cheeses and the list goes on.  Three recent publications supported by the International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM) explored and reaffirmed the safety of food colors that have been at the […]

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Food Allergen Labeling: Tips To Manage “May Contain” Labeling Risks

Last week was Food Allergy Awareness Week, and we’re bringing attention to this growing public health concern. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) estimates that 32 million Americans are affected by food allergies and that the prevalence of food allergies continues to rise. With those statistics, there is a good chance you or someone you know deals with a food allergy daily. The rise in food allergy prevalence is not due to pure chance, and several theories have been put forward to explain the upward curve. The “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that children today are growing up in cleaner environments and thus are exposed to fewer germs that are able to “train” their immune systems to know what is and is not dangerous. Other theories attribute the increase in food allergies to changes in the gut microbiome, switches in diet, and certain environmental factors. Whatever the reason, food allergies are on the rise, and while many people can self-manage their allergy, food allergen labeling is key to creating a safe food supply for everyone. Effective food allergen management According to IFIC’s 2019 Food and Health Survey, consumers most commonly manage their food allergies by carefully reading labels (45%) or avoiding certain types of restaurants and cuisines (37%). In this vein, IFIC encourages consumers to learn how to read labels carefully, exploring various terms that less commonly describe an allergy (e.g., casein protein versus milk), as well as to know which questions to ask when eating out. To outsiders, a food allergy may not be obvious, so many people with allergies also wear a medical bracelet, carry medication, and have emergency contact information ready in case they need help. Consumers aren’t the only ones responsible for managing food allergies. The Food Allergen Labeling And Consumer Protection Act (FALPCA) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandate that all food must be labeled […]

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Five Top Takeaways About Today’s Processed Foods Landscape

The dialogue around processed food is noisier than ever, and the constant barrage of media headlines about the purported harms of all processed foods has no end in sight. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) educational webinar, “The Processed Paradox: Consumer Insights Into Today’s Most Controversial Foods,” explores today’s processed foods landscape utilizing IFIC consumer research and insights to highlight what consumers are thinking and doing about today’s most controversial subject in nutrition: processed foods. Here are IFIC’s five top takeaways: 1. Americans care about what they eat, yet how that translates into their eating pattern varies. The vast majority (84%) of Americans say that eating healthy is important to them. Those who make $80,000+ annually and those with a college degree are more likely to say that eating healthy is “Very Important.” One of the ways this priority is expressed is through following an overall eating pattern. Slightly more than half of participants in the 2023 IFIC Food & Health Survey (52%) reported following a specific diet or eating pattern in the last year. High protein (18%) and mindful eating (17%) led the way as the two most popular diets. These were followed by calorie counting, clean eating, and intermittent fasting (each at 12%). An uptick in those who selected mindful eating in 2023 may signal a desire for a more holistic yet realistic approach to eating. Still, almost half (48%) report not following the structure of a specific diet or eating pattern. 2. The Nova food classification system serves as the current, yet incomplete, methodology cited in the scientific literature as well as media stories regarding processed foods, likely impacting consumers’ perceptions. The Nova classification system is the most utilized food classification approach documented in the scientific literature and has recently crossed over into mainstream media, with possibly […]

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The Bridge Between Food Trade and Food Safety

Many of us enjoy a variety of food products each day and are accustomed to our go-to foods being in stores whenever we want to check them off our shopping lists. In order for grocers all over the country to keep shelves stocked with our favorite items, they must import a variety of fruits, vegetables, animal products and shelf-stable goods that are reliably available from producers. But what you may not know is that many of these staple foods are imported into the U.S. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United States imports about 15 percent of its overall food supply. The FDA notes that “more than 200 countries or territories and roughly 125,000 food facilities plus farms supply approximately 32 percent of the fresh vegetables, 55 percent of the fresh fruit, and 94 percent of the seafood that Americans consume annually.” These numbers may surprise you. Why are so many foods imported, and how does the FDA regulate the safety of these imports in order to maintain a unified food system that renders imported foods just as safe as those produced within the U.S.? Why do we have imports? Many of our foods are imported due to the fact that they cannot be grown or manufactured in the U.S. at a rate that would meet our population’s productivity demands. Factors that impact productivity include the type of farming terrain, seasonal weather, and ecological and climatic considerations. These limitations call for many types of fruits that we encounter daily (think bananas, tomatoes, berries, pineapples, grapes and avocados), common vegetables (think bell peppers, squash, cucumbers and onions) as well as tropical products, such as cocoa and coffee, to all be imported. How is imported food regulated for safety? The cornerstone for the FDA’s best practices in food safety […]

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For The First Time In 21 Years, Convenience Outranks Health In Americans’ Shopping Carts

New 2026 IFIC Food & Health Survey Reveals Shifting Definitions Of What Makes A Food “Healthy” & Growing Dominance Of The Ultraprocessed Foods Dialogue (Washington, D.C.) — For the first time in the two-decade history of the IFIC Food & Health Survey, convenience has surpassed healthfulness as a driver of Americans’ food and beverage decisions, a milestone that signals just how much the everyday calculus of eating may be changing. Now in its 21st consecutive year, the annual survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) tracks how Americans think about food, nutrition, and health, and the role those factors, among others, play in what ends up in the grocery cart and on our plates. This year also marks a first: a Canadian sample was included to enable cross-border comparisons between U.S. and Canadian consumers. The 2026 findings arrive amid a fast-moving food environment—shaped by economic pressure, a rapidly shifting information landscape, and the growing influence of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement—that is reframing how Americans define “healthy” food, with high familiarity of the new Food Pyramid and terms like “ultraprocessed foods”. “Every year the IFIC Food & Health Survey gives us a read on where Americans truly are, and what we see is a meaningful shift in how people view their food and make decisions,” said IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. “In 2026, we find a public whose definition of ‘healthy’ is expanding beyond nutrition. Fresh, natural, the presence or absence of ingredients, as well as how much a food has been processed have all risen in prominence.” Convenience Outranks Healthfulness: A First In 21 Years For 20 straight years, the rank order of what shapes Americans’ food and beverage decisions held firm: taste, followed by price, healthfulness, convenience, and environmental sustainability. This […]

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A Brief History of Food – Rethinking “Processed”

Farm to fork, field to plate, seed to shelf. … More and more we want to know where our food comes from. We want to know where it was grown (or produced), who grew it, and how. The same could be said for food ingredients. Where did they come from? How did they come to be? Why are they in our food? To gain perspective on the origins of food ingredients, let’s take a look at the history of food itself. We’ve come a long way from our hunter/gatherer days, to farming and processing food by hand, and ultimately to modern day farming and food production. This evolution of food acquisition and production means that food itself is technology. All foods (with a few exceptions) are processed. It’s simply not possible, convenient, or even healthy to avoid all processed foods. And you shouldn’t want to. We have never had food that is more safe, nutritious, and delicious than we have today. The Industrial Revolution is what allowed us to achieve these important qualities in our food system. Food ingredients, from ones that are centuries old to ones more recently developed, help make possible a safe, convenient, healthful, flavorful and affordable food supply. By processing food and incorporating different ingredients, we are able to enjoy safer food (through the use of preservatives, like ascorbic acid, i.e., vitamin C), higher-quality food (which stays fresh longer), more nutritious food (by enriching with various nutrients), and more delicious food (enhanced taste and texture through flavors, spices, emulsifiers, etc.) Take it from food historian and author, Rachel Laudan, who counters the claims that food is less safe, less nutritious and over-processed, as well as the yearning for a romanticized past that never actually existed. The real past was a division of classes – the wealthy and powerful enjoying […]

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Food Allergies Throughout the Lifespan

Thirty-five years ago, the prevalence of food allergies was approximately one percent. Today, approximately 32 million Americans are living with food allergies. With these rising rates, it’s likely that you or someone you know suffers from this major health concern. Depending on when food allergies develop (as an infant or later in life as an adult), individuals and families with children can encounter unique challenges when choosing which foods to eat. But first, what are food allergies? Food Allergies Defined Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish and sesame are referred to as The Big Nine. These foods account for 90 percent of allergic reactions in the U.S. Allergens differ across the globe and can vary by country depending on the dietary patterns of the population. A food allergy is a serious medical condition in which the body’s immune system reacts to something in a food – typically a protein. When people with food allergies encounter an offending protein in food, their body’s immune system responds by releasing immunoglobulin. These antibodies cause immune-mediated reactions that result in a variety of symptoms from mild to severe. Reactions can take on the form of skin irritations such as rashes, hives and eczema. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting or a more severe reaction known as anaphylaxis can also occur. Allergic reactions to food may not happen immediately. They can also vary in severity. Factors like the amount and when allergens were eaten play a role in each reaction. Perhaps you or someone you know is living with a food allergy. Whether they are young, middle-aged or older, the fact is that everyone living with food allergies encounters unique and often different challenges at each stage of life. Here’s what you should know: Infants Milk is the most common […]

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