Our Eatiquette team is hard at work improving the app and adding new items to our database. But sometimes, we take a break from work to read what’s new in nutrition and labeling.
This week, we are reading through the 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey (FSANS). This survey is conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is “designed to assess consumers’ awareness, knowledge, understanding, and self-reported behaviors relating to a variety of food safety and nutrition-related topics.” A total of 4,398 adults responded to the survey during October and November of 2019.
Here’s what we found especially interesting from the survey results!
How people use Nutrition Facts Labels:
Forty percent of the respondents use the Nutrition Facts Label to compare foods. This is even easier if you consult your Eatiquette app!
Fifty-eight percent of consumers think that the serving size listed on a label is the amount of food you should eat. Only 11% gave the correct answer that the serving size is the amount people usually eat. Keep that in mind now that the serving sizes on ice creams and frozen desserts have increased from 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup.
What do we we look for on a food label?
“Calories” (60%) and “total sugars” (52%) are the most examined items on the Nutrition Facts Label, with “sodium” coming in at a close third with 49%. “Dietary fiber” and “vitamins & minerals” are two of the least scrutinized items, both coming in at 26%.
“No artificial ingredients” (20%), “low sodium” (19%), “organic” (16%), and “no added sugar” (14%) were the most important statements people were looking for on the front of food packages. They were listed as even more important than those stating “low calorie” (6%), “low fat” (8%), “healthy” (9%), or “gluten-free” (4%).
Also in our Eatiquette app our 3rd most avoided ingredient is “artificial ingredients”, after high fructose corn syrup and milk.
Food Allergies
Fourteen percent of people answered “yes” to the question, “Do you have any current food allergies or do you suspect you have a food allergy?” Interestingly, only half of those who answered “yes” were diagnosed by a doctor.
Demographics in Food Safety and Nutrition Survey (2019)
We were impressed by how the demographics of the survey respondents mirrored the breakdown of the U.S. population based on 2019 census data. When survey demographics reflect the general population, the survey findings are more applicable to the whole community.
Funnily, 80% of respondents said they never order food online. Remember, this survey was given in 2019. We can guarantee the number of people ordering food online skyrocketed in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
If you want help in reading labels, check out the Eatiquette app!