Abstract
As Americans seek ways to cope with recession, many are spending more time cooking at home and scrutinizing food purchases. Millions of Americans are also aspiring to lose weight and improve their nutrition without compromising on the taste and convenience preferences that are powerful drivers in the food and beverage business. At the same time, demand for locally grown, organic and "natural" packaged foods and beverages is quite high.
Simply put: Americans have become more health-conscious. Many are considering the nutritional value of what they eat to a greater extent than in the past. This is slowly resulting in behavioral change but it is likely to take many years before the incidence of obesity drops substantially.
This report examines the following questions:
- How is the economy impacting what type of food Americans buy and how they eat?
- What are the most popular cuisines in the United States?
- To what degree do consumers believe that they have a healthy diet?
- What foods and attributes of prepared foods are most closely associated with health, and which do consumers report working to avoid?
- What proportion of the population believes that healthy eating is important, and what segments are most influenced by health concerns?
- What segments of the population have high concentrations of consumers who report changing their diet in the last year?
- How influential are health claims on packaging, and what segments of the population are most likely to prefer foods that have added health benefits (e.g., "heart healthy" or "high in antioxidants")?
- What strategies are consumers using to save money on food?
- What type of information tends to have the most influence on food choices?
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