Food Health Survey

Neil, my hog farmer neigbor friend sent me some links to read and this piece was in it and I thought I would share it here. The International Food Information Council Foundation 2012 Food & Health Survey was conducted by Mathew Greenwald & Associates of Washington, D.C. This 25 minute, web-based survey was fielded in early April 2012. The survey respondents were reflective of the demographics of the U.S. population, and while the sample was very close to the target demographics, the data was weighted so it matched the demographics of the sample matched U.S. population targets exactly. This year, the weighting adjustments were very minor.

"Quick Facts
Nine out of ten Americans describe their health as good or better, a significant increase from previous years. The majority (60%) report that their health is either excellent or very good, and only nine percent report that they are in fair or poor health.

More than half of Americans (55%) report that they are trying to lose weight, while 22 percent indicate they are trying to maintain their weight. Only 20 percent report that they are not doing anything regarding their weight.

While the majority of Americans (71%) estimated their daily calorie needs, 64 percent of them estimated incorrectly with nearly half (49%) under estimating. Only about one in seven Americans (15%) accurately estimates the number of calories they need to maintain their weight.

Two-thirds of Americans report that they have given some thought to whether foods and beverages they purchase or consume are produced in a sustainable way.

Nearly six out of ten Americans consider protein when making a decision about buying packaged food or beverages, and most people report that they are trying to consume more. More consumers (47%) try to eat protein during an evening meal than during other meals or snacks; however, more than half (52%) of Americans simply try to get enough protein over the course of the day or week than focus too much on specific meal times.

Three out of four consumers (76%) feel that changes in nutritional guidance make it hard to know what to believe.

Nearly six in ten Americans (57%) believe that online and mobile tools can help them live healthier lifestyles.

Packaging information most commonly used by American consumers includes the expiration date (76%) and the Nutrition Facts panel (66%). Half of consumers report that they look at the ingredients list, the serving size and amount per container, and calorie or nutrition information icons displayed on the front of the package.

Similar to past years, taste and price continue to drive food and beverage choices (87% and 73% respectively) more than healthfulness (61%), convenience (53%) or sustainability (35%).

Nearly nine in ten parents believe that it is good for their health to sit down and eat meals with their family, with fifty-seven percent strongly agreeing to that point. Two-thirds of parents worry more about the healthfulness of their children’s diets than their own.
The initial benchmark Food and Health Survey was conducted in 2006 and subsequent trending Surveys were conducted in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012."

This survey makes a lot of sense to me and reflects what we have seen in ourselves and the people we talk to. LuAnn and I have watched what we eat a lot more in the past year and we both feel and look better for it.

How about you? What do you think of the survey?

Some Machine Shed Pork Medallions would really hit the spot tonight.

Ed