The Dairy Dilemma: Simultaneously Under-Consumed & Misunderstood

Dairy foods and beverages hold the not-so-coveted title as one of the most under-consumed food groups on the plate. In fact, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), approximately 90% of individuals do not consume the recommended three servings per day. More specifically, consumption appears to be the lowest among Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) subpopulations.   Rampant food and nutrition misinformation is counter to the goal of helping consumers build healthy dietary patterns. When food groups are not consumed in recommended amounts, nutrient inadequacies are exacerbated. Inadequate dairy intake can jeopardize health and wellness by limiting intake of three out of four under-consumed nutrients of public health concern – vitamin D, calcium, and potassium. The extent to which historically underserved communities are disproportionately affected by increasing rates of diet-related disease and food insecurity is widely chronicled, including in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.   The International Food Information Council (IFIC) has a long history of conducting consumer research on US eating trends and behaviors to support improved diet quality. With the annual IFIC Food & Health Survey entering its 20th year, we have been inspired to augment our research methodology to gain greater insight into underserved populations’ perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and needs. Specifically, we have committed to 1) tripling the number of respondents in the IFIC Food & Health Survey to better study and understand population subgroups (e.g., ethnic groups, those with lower income, etc.); and 2) oversampling certain demographics in standalone projects so that we can contribute subpopulation insights with greater statistical power.   A Complicated Web of Dairy Perceptions and Consumption Conundrums  It is important to understand motivators and barriers to providing equal access, availability, and actionability that enables the US population to regularly consume dairy foods and beverages in ways that meet their […]

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Optimal Daily Dairy Consumption Remains Elusive Despite Well-Established Health Benefits

New Research Reveals Opportunities To Improve Consumption In Advance Of National Dairy Month (Washington, D.C.) — Dairy foods and beverages are recommended as part of a healthy dietary pattern given their well-established benefits according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), yet nearly 90% of Americans do not consume the recommended three servings per day. As June’s National Dairy Month approaches, the International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) most recent consumer research, Exploring Fluid Milk & Dairy Food Consumption Patterns to Improve Diet Quality & Nutrition Equity, dives deep into dairy consumption trends and examines the perceptions, motivators, and barriers that may keep consumers from experiencing dairy’s benefits. “While Americans acknowledge that dairy foods and beverages are affordable, accessible, and an essential part of a healthy diet, many are not fully experiencing dairy’s benefits. Given that dairy continues to be an under-consumed food group, we wanted to investigate potential consumption barriers, including those that may be uniquely attributable to race, ethnicity, and/or income level,” explained IFIC President & CEO Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. “We seek to understand the many complex factors and layers that may affect how people, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, think about dairy foods and beverages.” Consumers Believe That Dairy Is An Essential Part In A Healthy Diet One thing is clear: A solid majority of Americans (78%) believe that dairy is an essential part of a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, most consumers can identify the health benefits of consuming dairy products. The most recognized benefits are bone health (90%) and dental health (79%). Lesser-known health benefits include the promotion of a healthy immune system (65%), heart health (54%), and maintaining healthy blood pressure (51%). Taste Is A Top Motivator for Dairy Consumption Consumers overwhelmingly rank taste as the main factor […]

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What is the Pegan Diet?

The pegan diet is a mash-up of two popular styles of eating: vegan and paleo. With the vegan diet’s strict adherence to animal-free eating and paleo’s reputation for being meat-centric, it might seem like these two eating styles are opposites. And yet, the pegan diet attempts to blend the best of both worlds. How does it work, and is it sustainable? Let’s take a look. More About the Pegan Diet The pegan diet borrows its plant-based philosophy from the vegan diet and its love of meat from the caveman-inspired paleo diet. If you need a refresher, the paleo diet attempts to model what those living 2.6 million years ago in the Paleolithic era ate: vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and nuts. It excludes dairy, grains, legumes, sugar, oils, salt, alcohol and coffee. Veganism, on the other hand, allows only the consumption of plant-based foods and prohibits the eating of animal-based foods. The main principle of the pegan diet is its emphasis on whole foods and its limitation of processed foods. Specifically, the pegan diet encourages its followers to make 75 percent of their diet plant-based, with the remaining 25 percent of foods coming from animal sources. Anything Else I Should Know? Yes. While the pegan diet’s emphasis on plant foods is a good one, it also includes other strict parameters that aren’t proven to benefit health. For example, gluten is not allowed on this diet—and not because of legitimate health conditions like celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Instead, gluten is restricted for a few less-scientific reasons. For starters, milling technology hadn’t yet been invented in the Paleolithic era, so grains weren’t part of caveman diets. It’s also shunned for other reasons which are unproven in the published nutrition literature. Gluten-free grains, however—like quinoa, brown rice, oats, and amaranth—are allowed, but recommended […]

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Survey: Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Avoid GMO Foods; Large Majority Primarily Concerned About Human Health Impact

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2018 Download the full report Survey: Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Avoid GMO Foods; Large Majority Primarily Concerned About Human Health Impact Proposed Federal Bioengineered (BE) Foods Disclosure Suggests Lower Consumer Acceptance, Less Willingness to Pay Under Various Labeling Options (Washington, D.C.)—Labels proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to disclose “bioengineered” (BE) foods dramatically increase a wide variety of consumer concerns, especially regarding human health. Those are among the findings of new research by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation into areas where AMS sought comments on its proposed BE labeling standards, as well as consumers’ views generally of genetically modified foods, or GMOs. Concerns Arise When BE Foods Are Labeled With AMS’s July 3 deadline to comment on the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law fast approaching, the IFIC Foundation tested reactions to the three BE labeling symbols and two variations of text disclosures. In every combination, levels of concern across a variety of factors increased—often substantially—when a disclosure label was applied. For example, consumers were shown bottles of canola oil 1) without any BE logo or text, 2) with one of the three symbols (a plant, a sun or a smile), 3) with a symbol, plus “bioengineered” in text and 4) with a symbol, plus “may be bioengineered” in text. An additional group of consumers were shown just text disclosure, without any BE logo. When shown the bottle without any disclosure, approximately one-third (31 percent) of a group of respondents had human health concerns. But that rose to 50 percent when shown the BE “plant” symbol, further increasing to 51 percent when text was added to indicate that the product was “bioengineered,” and to 57 percent when “may be bioengineered” was added to the “plant” logo. Human health […]

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Protein with Ali Webster, PhD, RD [Podcast]

Protein is an essential nutrient — it’s important for everything from appetite regulation to physical fitness to healthy skin and hair. But what exactly is a protein? How much do we need, and where do we get it? On this edition of DataDish: Your Trusted Serving of Science, we talk with Ali Webster, PhD, RD, Associate Director of Nutrition Communications at IFIC and IFIC Foundation. Ali has bachelor of science and doctorate degrees in nutrition from the University of Minnesota, and she is also a Registered Dietitian. Some highlights from our conversation:

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Survey: Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Avoid GMO Foods; Large Majority Primarily Concerned About Human Health Impact

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27, 2018 Download the full report Survey: Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Avoid GMO Foods; Large Majority Primarily Concerned About Human Health Impact Proposed Federal Bioengineered (BE) Foods Disclosure Suggests Lower Consumer Acceptance, Less Willingness to Pay Under Various Labeling Options (Washington, D.C.)—Labels proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to disclose “bioengineered” (BE) foods dramatically increase a wide variety of consumer concerns, especially regarding human health. Those are among the findings of new research by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation into areas where AMS sought comments on its proposed BE labeling standards, as well as consumers’ views generally of genetically modified foods, or GMOs. Concerns Arise When BE Foods Are Labeled With AMS’s July 3 deadline to comment on the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law fast approaching, the IFIC Foundation tested reactions to the three BE labeling symbols and two variations of text disclosures. In every combination, levels of concern across a variety of factors increased—often substantially—when a disclosure label was applied. For example, consumers were shown bottles of canola oil 1) without any BE logo or text, 2) with one of the three symbols (a plant, a sun or a smile), 3) with a symbol, plus “bioengineered” in text and 4) with a symbol, plus “may be bioengineered” in text.  An additional group of consumers were shown just text disclosure, without any BE logo. When shown the bottle without any disclosure, approximately one-third (31 percent) of a group of respondents had human health concerns. But that rose to 50 percent when shown the BE “plant” symbol, further increasing to 51 percent when text was added to indicate that the product was “bioengineered,” and to 57 percent when “may be bioengineered” was added to the “plant” logo. Human health […]

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Front & Center: Nutrition Labeling Research To Help Consumers Make Healthier 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 standardized FOP nutrition labeling scheme. In November, the FDA submitted its proposed rule on FOP nutrition labeling to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).   With a much-anticipated proposed rule on FOP nutrition labeling expected from FDA soon, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) is hosting a webinar on December 12 at 2pm ET. This free, 60-minute webinar, Front-Of-Package Nutrition Labeling: Front & Center Food Information To Encourage Healthy Choices, will feature food labeling insights from IFIC Senior Director of Research & Consumer Insights, Kris Sollid, RDN, as well as IFIC President and CEO, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN. The two will discuss the FDA’s efforts to develop standardized nutrition labeling for the front of food packaging, IFIC consumer research on the FOP labels being considered by FDA, and the importance of improving nutrition communications to encourage healthy food choices.   “Americans are food curious, and time-crunched, making it difficult to quickly convey accurate and complex information about food. As the American food consumer evolves, so must on-and off-label nutrition communications. FDA and IFIC efforts, among others, are critical to improve consumer use and understanding of Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling concepts,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, IFIC President & CEO.      Given the multiple FOP initiatives underway at the FDA and health agencies throughout the world, over the past few years, IFIC has conducted two studies among American consumers. The first was released in November 2021, the second in June of this year, with Front-Of-Package (FOP) Nutrition Labeling: Front & Center Food Information To Encourage Healthy Choices.    “In IFIC’s most recent […]

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Simple Safety Tips for Grilling with Dad

Father’s Day is almost always accompanied with grilling and spending time together outside with your old man. Don’t let this year be an exception. You may have heard of some risks from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) from grilled meat. According to the NIH, these compounds have been found to be mutagenic. In other words, they cause changes to DNA which may increase risk of cancer. PAHs form when the fat from meat drips into an open flame and the reaction forms the carcinogen. HCAs form in a similar fashion, but instead of fat, it involves sugar, amino acids, and creatine, all present in meat. But did you know there are easy ways to reduce the formation of both of these compounds? Let’s go over three quick-and-easy tips to perfect your grilling game. Manage the Flame and Your Meat It can be easy to become distracted while grilling. But managing the temperature and avoiding any direct contact between meat and fire is one of the most effective ways to reduce HCAs and PAHs. Distributing the heat and lowering the temperature also helps. Besides producing a healthier end product, this is what any worthy grill chef should be doing in the first place! Also, while it may seem obvious, flip your meat often. Avoid letting part of the cut become charred or blackened. Learn to Love Lean PAHs are formed from fat in the meat reacting with the flame. The equation on this one is pretty straightforward: less fat, less PAH formation. Try your hand at grilling a good turkey burger or marinated chicken breast. In addition to reducing PAH levels, your body will thank you for leaner meat in general. For vegetables, the concern for PAH is non-existent. Vegetables naturally contain little lipid content in comparison to […]

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