IFIC Spotlight Survey: Consumer Perspectives On Vitamins, Minerals, And Food & Beverage Fortification

Highlights It’s long been recognized that vitamins and minerals play essential roles in human health. But despite this appreciation, do people actually take them into consideration when making daily choices about what they eat and drink? If so, which vitamins and minerals do people seek out? And where do they look for this information when grocery shopping? In addition to finding the answers to these questions, this survey aimed to find out how people perceive the process of fortification (one method of adding vitamins and minerals to foods and beverages). Here are some key findings: Most people consider the presence of vitamins and minerals at least sometimes when making decisions about what to eat and drink. Nearly three in four (72%) consider the presence of vitamins at least sometimes, and 22% consider it always. When it comes to minerals, 65% consider the presence of minerals at least sometimes and 17% always keep them in mind. Vitamins D and C are the most frequently sought after, followed by vitamin B12 and calcium. Two in three (66%) said they most frequently seek out vitamin D, and 62% said the same about vitamin C. Demographic comparisons show that age and gender influence which vitamins and minerals are most desired. People age 65 years or older were more likely to seek out vitamin D, calcium and potassium compared with people under age 45, and women were more likely than men to seek out vitamin B12 and calcium. Most people turn to foods and supplements for sources of specific vitamins and minerals. Of those who look for vitamins and minerals in things they eat and drink, 56% say they seek them out in foods and nearly half (49%) say they seek them out via dietary supplements. Fewer (37%) say they look to get vitamins and minerals from beverages. […]

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Protein Q&A with Dr. Jared Dickinson (Part 1)

Protein is a big focus in media headlines and on food labels. But in the foodie and fitness communities, myths are swirling around about protein use and consumption. Luckily, we are able to bust some of these myths with Dr. Jared Dickinson, assistant professor in the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University. About Dr. Dickinson Dr. Dickinson received his PhD in human bioenergetics from Ball State University’s Human Performance Laboratory and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in muscle biology/rehabilitation sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch.  Jared’s research interests are to better understand the overall adaptive responses of skeletal muscle to exercise, nutrition, aging and clinical disease and to develop targeted exercise and nutritional strategies that can be utilized to improve muscle health and function in older adults and clinical populations.  A portion of his work focuses particularly on the role and impact of protein ingestion as a complimentary strategy to enhance muscle health. So let’s dive in and begin with the basics. 1. What is protein? Protein is a macronutrient that is comprised of amino acids. Ingesting protein in our diet provides amino acids, which serve as building blocks for forming protein and other structures in our body. 2. What are some health benefits of protein? Protein is critical for maintaining a healthy immune system to fight off infection and repairing injury to tissue. Additionally, protein is linked to both bone and muscle health, and thus proper protein ingestion may provide a strategy to prevent the loss of muscle tissue that occurs in clinical populations and as part of the aging process. Protein ingestion may provide a useful diet strategy as well. Emerging research has shown that eating a diet higher in protein may help with weight management by reducing your hunger while at the […]

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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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Consumer Behaviors & Perceptions of Food Waste

Food Waste: Does Location Make a Difference? Two in five people say they never think about food waste while eating out. Download the full report. Food waste is a pressing public health issue. The United Nations estimates about a third of food that is produced annually is wasted each year, which could mean that over one billion tons of food ends up in landfills. But some people may not understand how much food they waste, or know where they are most likely to create food waste, or be familiar with practical steps they can take to reduce their food waste. To better understand public perceptions and behaviors around food waste, the IFIC Foundation commissioned a consumer research study of 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 years and older from August 13 to August 14, 2019. This research offers insight into how and where we might look to address this complex issue. Leftovers and fresh produce top the list of foods wasted at home When asked to choose the top three types of food that were most often wasted at home in the last month, 74 percent reported leftovers of foods prepared at home were most often wasted. A close second source of waste was produce (67 percent), while leftovers from restaurants ranked third (50 percent). Why does food get wasted at home? In a question that asked consumers to choose their top two reasons, 83 percent reported spoiled or stale food as the most common reason foods ended up in the trash. Forty-nine percent reported their top reason was cleaning out the pantry. Food waste is less of a concern when eating out In addition to assessing consumer actions, this study was also designed to gauge how often food waste was on people’s minds during three different occasions: while grocery shopping, […]

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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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2021 Food & Health Survey: Pandemic Food Habits Start to Wane While Positive Approaches to Diet and Health Grow

(Washington, D.C.)—More than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are beginning to experience a taste of what post-pandemic life might look like as their shopping and eating habits return to their pre-pandemic patterns. At the same time, there are alarming signs of inequalities and disparities within our food system. These are among the findings of the 2021 Food & Health Survey, conducted every year since 2006 by the International Food Information Council (IFIC). “After more than a year of tremendous upheaval caused by a historic pandemic, Americans are craving stability and a return to normalcy when it comes to their food decisions,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of IFIC. “The 2021 Food & Health Survey reflects those desires, but it also provides evidence of trends from during and before the pandemic that are proving to be more durable. This year’s survey also offers interesting new insights into consumers’ feelings about their communities, as well as their obligations to the environment.” Starting to Find a Sense of Normalcy IFIC has undertaken intensive consumer research on the effects of the pandemic since its earliest days. Last year’s Food & Health Survey, which was conducted in April 2020, revealed dramatic changes in how we ate, prepared and shopped for foods as a result of COVID-19. This year’s Food & Health Survey shows that many of those changes have begun to subside. For instance, 85% of Americans a year ago reported having experienced some change to their eating or food preparation habits because of the pandemic. In the 2021 Food & Health Survey, however, that number fell to 72%. The survey also found significant decreases—sometimes by as much as half—in behaviors that had changed because of the pandemic. One year ago, 60% of consumers said they were cooking at home more than usual; this year, that number fell to 47%. Similarly, the number of Americans […]

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IFIC CEO Joseph Clayton to Step Down in Early 2023

(Washington, D.C.)— International Food Information Council (IFIC) announced today that Chief Executive Officer Joseph Clayton will step down after six-and-a-half years leading the nonprofit science communications and consumer research organization. Since 1985, IFIC has promoted evidence-based information on nutrition, food safety and agricultural production to consumers and health professionals while conducting a decades-long series of consumer research programs at the intersection of food, health and consumer perception. “Over the last six years, Joe has built strong IFIC communications and education programs that have increased the visibility of evidence and science-based information about food, diet and health,” said IFIC Co-Chair Russell Dyer, Chief Communications Officer and Head of Public and Government Affairs at Mondelēz International. “He leaves an extremely capable staff of experts in nutrition, food production and science communications that will serve IFIC well as we conduct a search for a new CEO.” “IFIC’s consumer research programs expanded and sharpened significantly under Joe’s leadership and have enabled IFIC to become an authoritative source on how Americans understand the role of food and diet in their health,” said Regan Bailey, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture at Texas A&M University. “IFIC’s research informs government, industry and academia on consumer attitudes and knowledge gaps in food and health, information that is lacking and desperately needed for both public education and policy making.” “It’s been a special six years and a privilege to help advance IFIC’s mission and programs,” said Clayton. “We’ve taken major steps to expand IFIC’s reach as a source of evidence-based information about food and strengthen our research agenda to better understand how consumers approach decisions at the intersection of food and health. IFIC is more prepared than ever to promote actionable, science-based food information.” A Search Committee comprised of private sector and public academic sector […]

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Sweet Insights: International Food Information Council Releases New Research Examining Evolving Consumer Sentiment On Low- & No-Calorie Sweeteners

(Washington, D.C.) — As global health authorities have offered conflicting guidance on low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) in recent years, a new survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) reveals evolving American attitudes. The IFIC Spotlight Survey: American Perceptions of Sweeteners in Foods and Beverages, conducted in April 2024, highlights current preferences, awareness, and sentiments toward caloric and non-caloric sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and rare sugars such as allulose.  “This IFIC Spotlight Survey is unique as it serves to follow up on surveys we previously conducted in 2023 and 2021,” explains IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. “Since we last surveyed Americans on sweeteners in April 2023, there have been significant updates to low- and no-calorie sweetener dietary guidance outside the U.S., potentially impacting American consumer attitudes and preferences.”  In May and July 2023, scientific evaluations of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) from three bodies within the World Health Organization (WHO) were released by the Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives.   “These reports received global media attention for their conflicting results and ensuing mixed messages,” Reinhardt Kapsak said. “Not only did we want to deepen our insights with this recent survey, but we wanted to see if these European evaluations moved the needle on American perceptions and behaviors, and if so, how.”   American Sweetener Shake-Up Or Consumer Sentiments Settled?   According to the IFIC survey, one-third of Americans (33%) reported changing their LNCS consumption habit between April 2023 and April 2024. While 10% said they increased LNCS consumption and 6% said they started consuming LNCS, 11% said they decreased LNCS consumption and 6% said they stopped consuming LNCS altogether. Another 34% reported making no changes to their LNCS consumption, and 30% reported not […]

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