This changeover has prompted increasing demand from consumers to know exactly what they're eating. In response, nutrition labeling has evolved from not necessarily all-inclusive in the 70s and early 80s to today's highly specific listing of ingredients, their nutrients and percentages. If that isn't enough, listings abound in books and on the Internet of nutritional breakdowns of thousands of foods, including "food exchanges" for various diets.
With all this information available at the click of a mouse button, consumers today should be making consistently healthy food choices. But they're not, according to marketing experts, who have long observed -- and reported --the phenomenon of deliberately choosing foods that offer little nutritional value (and usually, too many unnecessary calories). What drives these food choices? And do consumers really want to know what goes into the foods they eat?
Early Lessons
Experts say despite today's advanced knowledge of nutrition, the human mind tends to revert to its first, earliest "lessons" when making food choices. In other words, even if dietitians agree that too much fat (particularly trans fats) can contribute to certain types of disease, the subconscious still recalls hearing "whole milk is good for you!"...and continues to believe it.Today's spendiest demographic, the 30-55 year old age group, grew up in large part on "hearty" breakfasts, lunches and dinners that were loaded with fat. "When I grew up," relates Wayne H. of Alta Loma, CA, "pasta with marinara sauce was a 'quick' dinner, but we weren't supposed to have it very often because it was 'a starch' and bad for us. A fried pork chop was considered healthier. My wife thinks I'm weird because when I binge, I binge on steak and buttery potatoes."
Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty also ties into the food choice factor. The brands we trusted as children still resonate with the emotional side of our choices, even if we know better now. "I started kindergarten early, at age four," says Keryanne J. of Park Ridge, NJ. "I had to take an entrance test to prove I was ready for school. One of the questions was, 'Name a healthy food.' I said, "Wonder Bread. It builds a healthy body five ways!" My mother laughed. I still love that horrid bread. It's all air and chemicals, but I love it."The Power of Packaging
Another key to a consumer's stomach is packaging. Certain colors make us feel hungrier (for instance, red), and key words have us grabbing for the box rather than the less wordy one next to it. Marketers have long known this; the surprise is that, even as they're choosing the item, so do consumers. "[The brand name] macaroni and cheese tastes so much better than the store brand," insists Kathryn B. of Tannersville, PA. "And you know, even though I recently found out they're made at the same factory with only the labels changed, [the name brand] still tastes better to me."Wrapping it All Up
What this adds up to is emotionally fueled rather than logic motivated food choices. Even so, government driven initiatives, food experts and exercise gurus continue to pump up the information to get the healthy word out. As they do, upcoming generations may have a better chance than older ones of heeding what's on the food label simply because they're growing up hearing better information. This may help turn the trend of overweight youngsters as well, experts claim."My son loves M&Ms, but he loves broccoli, too," says Keryanne. "If I offer him a low-nutrition snack because I'm eating it, more than half the time he'll shrug and say, 'Nah, I'm not hungry.' Then he'll forget the junk food is there and just eat vegetables and chicken for dinner. That amazes me."
