American eating habits shaping up

Americans are making greater efforts to eat healthier as more than three in four state that eating right is important to them. The recent survey of 500 Americans conducted by InsightExpress​, a professional online research firm, reveals that 60 per cent of Americans are eating healthier today than a year ago-whether they are on a diet or not.

Interestingly, almost half (44 per cent) of all households contain at least one dieter. The most commonly cited reasons for eating healthier were: 'It's just common sense' (71 per cent), 'Enables me/my family to control our weight'(62 per cent) and 'helps prevent me/my family from getting sick'(54 per cent). Other reasons included living longer, a current health condition and the growth and development of the family or children.

InsightExpress noted that healthier attitudes are prevalent in the grocery aisles as two out of three consumers state they consider the nutritional value of products before they actually make a purchase decision. They also remark that Americans also appear less price sensitive when it comes to eating right as almost half are willing to pay more for 'healthy products'. Further, one in five Americans are willing to sacrifice taste for healthier, less flavorful foods.

"Clearly, Americans are becoming more health conscious when it comes to food-buying and eating habits-with these attitudes being demonstrated in the check-out line,"​ said Lee Smith, president and COO of InsightExpress. "With 43 per cent of shoppers consulting nutritional information on product packaging when buying a product for the first time, marketers need to recognize this medium as a formidable information platform."​

So who wins the brand war against the bulge? According to survey participants, the top brands in the 'healthy food' category are: Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers.