Where Do Sustainable and Healthy Food Choices Intersect?

Healthy food choices are often on many of our minds as we plan what our next meal will include. Many of us are also focused on sustainability and the environmental aspects of our food chain that impact the planet. We may practice environmentally friendly habits, like recycling, shopping at farmers’ markets and buying foods with less packaging. But the intersection of these two diet-choice aspects­—health and environmental sustainability—and the lenses through which we evaluate both, are worth investigating. Is one more important that the other? Do other factors such as taste, price and convenience still significantly impact our food choices too? Findings from the International Food Information Council Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey as well as another IFIC Foundation survey, Consumer Attitudes and Perceptions on Healthy and Environmentally Sustainable Diets (to be released this fall), help shed light on these issues. Sticking with sustainability The 2019 Food and Health Survey found that environmental sustainability was a significant purchase driver, with over half (54 percent) of people saying it was important that the foods they purchase and consume be produced in an environmentally sustainable way. Of those who believe environmental sustainability is important, the top three food characteristics that people use to identify these foods are “being labeled as being locally grown” (51 percent), “being labeled as sustainably sourced” (47 percent), and “being labeled as non-GMO/not bioengineered” (47 percent). Interestingly, 41 percent of respondents look for recyclable packaging and 35 percent look to make purchases with minimal packaging. This year, the survey also asked consumers whether they find it difficult to know whether their food choices are environmentally sustainable. Over six in ten (63 percent) of consumers agreed that it is hard for consumers to know whether the food choices they make are environmentally sustainable. As a follow-up, we asked […]

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Six Tips for Holiday Hosting with Food Allergies

A few years ago, I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner, which turned into a wild scramble in my tiny apartment kitchen while I cooked a meal for seven. On top of all that, my sister-in-law was coming, and her wheat allergy made things a little trickier. Hosting a big meal for guests with food allergies can be challenging, especially when everyone is depending on you to make a safe, delicious, mistake-free meal. While I was fortunate to know which allergies to look out for in my cooking, sometimes guests show up without notice. My list of tips below can help keep your holiday dinners running smoothly, even if there’s an unexpected guest at your table. In fact, sometimes surprises give you an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen! 1. Offer allergy-free alternatives Instead of scrapping a dish altogether, offer an allergen-free alternative dish to ensure everyone can enjoy a little of everything. For my family, stuffing is the big hit, but I knew we would need a wheat-free alternative for my sister-in-law. My solution: cornbread stuffing in addition to classic wheat bread stuffing. Here are some other ideas for adjusting popular side dishes: swap out cow’s milk for coconut milk in mashed potatoes; leave the walnuts on the side for the sweet potato casserole; and make a crust-less apple crisp instead of apple pie. It’s also important to keep in mind that just because a dish is free of one allergen, it may still contain others. For example, while cornbread stuffing is free of wheat, it may still contain dairy products. 2. Keep allergen-containing foods separate In an ideal world, we would have the space of a commercial kitchen to cook our holiday meals. My tiny city apartment was far from ideal. This meant being extra vigilant about separating food ingredients. […]

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What You Need To Know About Color Additives in Foods

We often hear about how we eat with our eyes first—and it turns out there’s some truth behind this notion. The visual appearance of the foods we eat can influence our experience and affect the way we perceive, taste, and smell our meals. Perhaps the most prominent visual component of our food—color—has even been used historically to identify important nutritional and medicinal values in our produce sources. And color additives have consistently been used as a relatively simple way producers and manufacturers use to alter a food’s appearance and improve its palatability. In fact, humans have been using color additives for centuries to preserve and enhance our food’s appearance. Color additives refer to any dye, pigment, or substance that gives color to a food. Color is used to enhance the attractiveness of a food by creating visual vibrancy, adding a new and appealing color to a food, or preventing a food’s original color from fading. Color additives can be made from natural or synthetic sources. Natural sources refer to those derived from nature and the Earth’s environment, whereas synthetic sources are chemically manufactured by specialized companies and food producers. Natural substances including spices (e.g., paprika, turmeric, and saffron) and minerals (e.g., iron), have been used to alter foods’ appearances since the beginning of recorded history. Even wine has been found to be artificially colored since around 300 BCE. Unfortunately, some substances that have been used to add color to foods have misled customers and created unsafe side effects, and there has been historic documentation about food adulteration regulations at least as far back as the time of England’s King Edward I (1272–1307), when some bakers used lime, chalk, or crushed bones to create disingenuous white bread. Sadly, toxic colorants have also been regularly used in recent history, including copper to […]

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Is Label Literacy a Key to Healthier Food Choices?

FOR RELEASE: 10 a.m. EST, January 24, 2018 Download the Survey (PDF) (Washington, D.C.) —Health-related factors have a significant impact on the foods people buy. With the seemingly overwhelming number of products on shelves, a new survey offers insights into which information on food labels is most influential — and on how additional information might lead to healthier dietary choices. According to the survey, conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation and the American Heart Association, almost all Americans (95 percent) report that they always or sometimes look for healthy options when food shopping. Consumers say they are more likely to consult food labels for healthfulness when buying a product for the first time. However, there is a gap between consumers’ desire to find information about healthy foods and their ability to do so. Only a little more than one-quarter (28 percent) say it’s easy to find healthy foods, while 11 percent say it’s difficult, and the remainder report it is only moderately easy. “We know consumers are making efforts to eat healthier,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation. “But our research indicates that their ability to locate the information they find most helpful can be a barrier to making healthier choices. Even subtle changes to food labels could have a positive impact on public health.” When it comes to the wide array of sources where consumers get information about the healthfulness of foods—whether in-store, online or in other marketing statements—the Nutrition Facts panel was the top source (69 percent), followed by the ingredients list (67 percent), according to the survey. More consumers primarily consulted labels for ingredients they were seeking (45 percent) than for ingredients they were avoiding (31 percent). Consumers indicate they pay a lot of attention to health-related iconography currently on food labels, […]

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For Medicaid Recipients, Food Insecurity Goes Hand-in-Hand with Stress, Depression, Overweight/Obesity

Download Full Survey  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 9, 2018 While Medicaid recipients express similar desires for their health as non-recipients, they are having a more difficult time achieving those outcomes, reporting far higher food insecurity, more health problems and greater stress about their food decisions than the general population. For the first time in the 13-year history of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s Food and Health Survey, an oversample of Medicaid beneficiaries was conducted in partnership with The Root Cause Coalition to explore the unique health and nutrition issues facing over 66 million Americans covered by the program. According to the survey, Medicaid recipients experience far greater rates of food insecurity across many indicators compared to the general population. About one-third (32 percent) often purchase less-healthy food options than they otherwise would because of lack of money, more than twice the rate (13 percent) of non-recipients. Similarly, nearly one-third often purchase less food overall (28 percent) because of money, nearly three times the rate (10 percent) of non-recipients. A similar number (27 percent) worry that their food will run out before they get money to buy more, compared to just 7 percent of non-recipients. And 43 percent of Medicaid recipients say they often skip at least one meal a day, compared with 28 percent of non-recipients. But even though their means may be lacking, Medicaid recipients have similar aspirations for good health as the general population. Among the top health-related benefits Medicaid beneficiaries seek from food and nutrients, 17 percent cite cardiovascular health (compared to 21 percent of non-recipients), 15 percent cite weight loss or management (compared to 21 percent of non-recipients), and 12 percent desire greater energy (compared to 13 percent of non-recipients). Also on the positive side of the ledger, 59 percent of Medicaid recipients report getting information on foods to eat or avoid from their personal healthcare professional—79 percent of whom said they made changes in their eating habits as a […]

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Nitrites: One Reason Our Food is Safe and Bacon is Tasty

Nitrites don’t make it on your grocery list but likely end up in your fridge. They have several roles in foods and have become a necessary component in many of our favorite products. Their most common use in foods is inclusion in cured meats, but they are present in many dietary sources including vegetables and drinking water. Their use in food preservation is nothing new. The Romans were the first to note the benefits of nitrites as early as 850 B.C. While it remains a key component of many products to this day, its use is misunderstood. Let’s learn more about this food ingredient and what it adds. What are Nitrites? When you see “nitrites” listed on a food ingredient statement, it is likely added as sodium or potassium salt of nitrate or nitrite, not too far off from the familiar sodium chloride (table salt). When nitrates are added to a food, it often loses an oxygen molecule and becomes nitrite. In fact, your mouth bacteria achieve this same conversion with high efficiency. For this article, we will be referring to the both as nitrites. When the salt is added to a food, it will appear as “nitrites” on the label, but there are other ways this compound can find its way in a product. Now that we know what it is, the next question is: why add nitrites to food in the first place? Are They Safe? Nitrites help make foods safer for us to eat. Nitrites reduce the possible presence of botulism in many products. Botulism is the most potent food toxin and has a lethal dose at the nanogram level. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) take the threat of botulism so seriously that nitrites are required to call a […]

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The International Food Information Council Releases New Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling Research To Help Consumers Make Healthier Food and Beverage Choices 

(Washington, D.C.) — The use of Front-of-Package (FOP) nutrition labeling schemes has increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has initiated qualitative and quantitative consumer research to explore the development of a FOP nutrition labeling scheme. Given the multiple FOP initiatives underway at the FDA and health agencies throughout the world, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) has released the results of its most recent quantitative consumer study on FOP nutrition labeling, Front-Of-Package (FOP) Nutrition Labeling: Front & Center Food Information To Encourage Healthy Choices.    “Nutrition communications are ever-evolving, and so must on-label communications if we want to keep pace with today’s consumer. Too often, the consumer’s voice is left out of food policy conversations. That is why IFIC’s new Front-of-Pack labeling study and the work currently being done by FDA to understand consumer interpretations of Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling concepts is so critical,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, President & CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC).     IFIC is one of the first to publish results on consumer reactions to FOP labels being considered by the FDA for a potential standardized FOP scheme on food packaging. IFIC’s study also included FOP labels with calorie and dietary fiber information, two elements not included in the FDA’s current prototype FOP labels.    “One of the many intriguing findings from our new research is that no single FOP scheme was best for helping people identify the healthiest and least healthy food label,” said Kris Sollid, RDN, IFIC Senior Director of Research & Consumer Insights. “However, people found it easier to select the healthiest choice when calories and fiber, a health-promoting nutrient that Americans do not eat enough of, were included on Front-of-Pack labels. By including this information front and center on food packaging, consumers may […]

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Understanding How Animal Protein Production Is Regulated

As kids growing up, many of us were often given a message along the lines of, “Be sure to eat your protein—it’s good for your muscles!” For sure, dietary protein is an essential nutrient for maintaining muscle strength, bone health and blood sugar control. As part of appreciating the plethora of protein choices available to many of us as we seek to build healthy meals, let’s take a look at the farming practices and regulations that support the production of animal protein in our food system. It all starts on the farm Shelter, food and medical care are three top areas farmers focus on as they seek to care for the animals that make up our food system. These three areas are subject to regulatory oversight that creates standards for safe and reliable animal protein production. To help ensure farm animals are fed a healthy diet, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) upholds the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The FDA must approve animal feed that is given to farm animals similarly to how the agency oversees the safety of human food. According to the agency, FDA regulators work to certify that all animal feed displays the following core characteristics: purity, wholesomeness, produced under clean conditions, free of harmful substances, and labeled appropriately and truthfully. Additionally, animal feed regulation is supported by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). AAFCO, formed in 1909, comprises state and federal feed regulators who oversee the approval process for feed ingredients. In addition to being well-fed, animals must also receive medical attention to prevent and treat illnesses. For more than 50 years, veterinarians and producers have administered antibiotics to animals being raised for meat—primarily to poultry, swine, and cattle. For each newly proposed drug to become part of the animal-care toolbox, […]

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