Consumers are aware of the nation’s growing obesity crisis but believe it isn’t their problem, according to research to be released next week.
A survey of 1,000 consumers by IGD concludes that personal motivation prevents consumers from choosing a healthy diet rather than a lack of knowledge about the foods they should eat. The majority of those surveyed were in denial about their own diet, with 90% believing it is always or sometimes healthy.
“Consumers do not realise or want to accept that headlines about an overweight nation apply to them. So their motivations to change are very low,” said IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch.
One barrier is that consumers only seek to change their diet if they feel overweight. However, many are tolerant of being overweight and think that if they eat lots of fruit and veg and drink lots of water they will still be healthy. Denney-Finch said: “The concern, and therefore the key barrier to changing behaviour, is that many underestimate what constitutes overweight or obese. They believe that as long as they are under the average size of the population they are okay. As the population gets bigger the size deemed acceptable may grow.”
Consumers’ understanding of a balanced diet is a trade off between a ‘good’ thing, like fruit cancelling a ‘bad’ thing, like crisps. A ‘proper’ meal, such as one cooked from scratch, is regarded as the epitome of a healthy meal.
Most of those surveyed believe a healthy lifestyle is more important than a healthy diet, while obesity is a problem for children rather than adults.
Parents are seen as most responsible for children consuming too much unhealthy food, followed by school meals.
The results lend weight to The Grocer’s call for a government education campaign.
But any such initiative needs to focus on long-term positive messages. Few of those surveyed wanted to see campaigns similar to the recent hard hitting anti-smoking ones.
>>p34 Junk the Spin
Siân Harrington
A survey of 1,000 consumers by IGD concludes that personal motivation prevents consumers from choosing a healthy diet rather than a lack of knowledge about the foods they should eat. The majority of those surveyed were in denial about their own diet, with 90% believing it is always or sometimes healthy.
“Consumers do not realise or want to accept that headlines about an overweight nation apply to them. So their motivations to change are very low,” said IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch.
One barrier is that consumers only seek to change their diet if they feel overweight. However, many are tolerant of being overweight and think that if they eat lots of fruit and veg and drink lots of water they will still be healthy. Denney-Finch said: “The concern, and therefore the key barrier to changing behaviour, is that many underestimate what constitutes overweight or obese. They believe that as long as they are under the average size of the population they are okay. As the population gets bigger the size deemed acceptable may grow.”
Consumers’ understanding of a balanced diet is a trade off between a ‘good’ thing, like fruit cancelling a ‘bad’ thing, like crisps. A ‘proper’ meal, such as one cooked from scratch, is regarded as the epitome of a healthy meal.
Most of those surveyed believe a healthy lifestyle is more important than a healthy diet, while obesity is a problem for children rather than adults.
Parents are seen as most responsible for children consuming too much unhealthy food, followed by school meals.
The results lend weight to The Grocer’s call for a government education campaign.
But any such initiative needs to focus on long-term positive messages. Few of those surveyed wanted to see campaigns similar to the recent hard hitting anti-smoking ones.
>>p34 Junk the Spin
Siân Harrington
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