Public Opinion Report
By Jason McGrath
As food and nutrition take center stage in the White House with Michelle Obama’s initiatives from fighting childhood obesity to the White House organic garden, many have focused on the foods we eat as a cause of the obesity epidemic in the US. What is commonly overlooked, however, is our personal relationship with food, and how this impacts what we eat, where we eat, when we eat, and how we eat.
StrategyOne explored these attitudes and opinions among US consumers to gain a better understanding of the relationship Americans have with food, and what their expectations are of food producers, food companies and restaurants.
The Questions
Our research posed three (3) basic questions:
1. “Which ONE of the following best describes the way in which you primarily think about food in your life?”
Total |
|
| A means of health | 23% |
| A way of connecting with friends and family | 18% |
| A source of fuel | 15% |
| A display of love for those I cook for | 12% |
| A sense of pride in the food I prepare | 11% |
| A duty or obligation to provide food for others | 7% |
| A sense of culture | 4% |
| A celebration | 3% |
| Guilt | 1% |
2. “How important is it to you that each of the following food sources have specific initiatives focused on health, wellness and nutrition for people consuming their products?”
% Somewhat or Very Important |
|
| Supermarkets | 91% |
| Food producers, such as farmers and ranchers | 90% |
| Packaged food companies | 83% |
| Casual dining restaurants | 81% |
| Fast food companies | 68% |
3. “How important is it to you that a food company have each of the following types of initiatives?”
% Somewhat or Very Important |
|
| Provide healthy foods that also taste great | 94% |
| Offer more healthy food choices | 92% |
| Provide easily accessible nutrition information for their products | 92% |
| Work to help solve community nutrition problems, such as childhood obesity and malnutrition | 89% |
| Provide easy-to-use nutrition information on the front of food packages | 88% |
| Use fewer ingredients in their products | 75% |
Methodology
From January 29th to February 1st, 2010, StrategyOne conducted 1,000 telephone surveys among US adults age 18 and older. The data was collected by random-digit dialing and weighted to be representative of the US population based on age, gender, geographic region and race.
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Any Questions? Contact Us
Fill out the form below, or for more information, contact Jason McGrath at (202) 412-4640.
