Americans are often advised to eat healthier and more nutritious foods to control the epidemic of diabetes and obesity that strikes the country. However, researchers have found that many cannot identify healthy foods in the aisles of grocery stores.
Attest’s research team, a consumer research platform, can only correctly identify which was the healthiest when multiple food options (all at different levels of health and nutrition) were presented. I found that.
Even more worrisome, 13% identified the least nutritious foods as the healthiest. This is more than the amount properly identified as the healthiest.
According to experts, many people are confused by packaging labels such as “whole grain” and “low calorie” and either don’t care about the nutrition label on the back of the box or can’t read it correctly.
According to one study, only about 9% of Americans were able to accurately identify the healthiest product based on their packaging.
“Americans haven’t been able to clearly identify healthy products … it tells us a lot about this gap between perception and reality,” said Jeremy, CEO of Attest, who helped organize the study. -King told the DailyMail.com.
The researchers collected data from 2,000 participants for the study. Each one displayed a collection of cereal bars and was asked to rank from the healthiest to the least healthy.
The correct ranking is based on the Nutri-Scores from A to E used to evaluate some foods in the UK.
King said many people misunderstand the advertising slogan (which usually means nothing) as a marker that food is healthy.
Attest CEO Jeremy King (pictured) said claims like “whole grain” and “natural flavor” on the front of food packaging can mislead people about which products are actually healthy. Said there is
These include phrases such as “whole grain,” “natural flavor,” and “100 calories.” Other common causes include “organic” or “fat-free”.
Many figure foods that brand themselves in this way are healthier, but the standards for their legal use are very low and, above all, branded.
The inability of Americans to identify healthy products may be affecting the country’s emerging obesity and diabetes epidemics.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 42% of Americans are considered obese and more than 70% of Americans are considered obese.
The problem has reached a critical point, leading to an increase in diabetes, heart disease and other related symptoms in the United States.
The CDC reports that about 10% of Americans suffer from diabetes. Diabetes is a catastrophic and potentially debilitating condition.
King has accused the United States of outdated food labeling regulations on this issue.
The United States has adopted current food labeling practices, where nutritional ingredients are usually listed on clear black and white labels on the back or sides of the packaging.
King states that American nutrition labeling is outdated and needs to be replaced with a system similar to the “nutri-score” system used in the United Kingdom.
The label is informative, shows the near-accurate amount of substances, vitamins, and minerals in the product, is hard to read when compared to the average American’s expected daily intake, and is even bothered by many. May not be. So.
Instead, most Americans, even those looking for health food, simply scan the front of the package before adding it to the cart.
This is where terms such as “whole grain” and “organic” can play a major role.
“Most consumers aren’t nutritionists,” King said, adding that he makes “quick decisions” when deciding what is healthy at a grocery store.
He compares the US system with the British system. In the UK, many products have a Nutri-Score from A to E. A is the healthiest.
This system isn’t perfect and excludes many of the nutritional nuances, but it’s a great indicator for anyone who wants a quick, healthy choice in a grocery store.
Researchers said a bill submitted by New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone last August would enact this type of system in the United States, clarifying shopping at domestic grocery stores. It says it will help.
King states that this is also popular among Americans, with 51 percent of survey participants supporting labeling.
“There is already consumer demand for this change,” he said.
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