Americans Pay More Attention to Healthy Foods, Survey Finds

BFD.

Americans are growing more health-conscious while reading food labels and selecting foods to eat, a recently published FDA survey on health and diet found.

Compared with self-reported responses given in 2002, the percentage of Americans who knew diet was related to heart disease rose from 83% from the 2002 survey to 91% in the 2008 FDA Health and Diet Survey.

Additionally, the percentage of those who knew trans fats raised heart disease risk almost doubled, from 32% in the 2004 survey to 62% in the 2008 one.

Respondents in 2008 not only understood more about increased risks than their 2002 counterparts but also understood more about factors reducing the risk of heart disease. Just over half of respondents in 2008 knew omega 3 fatty acids could reduce heart disease risk, up from 31% in 2004.

However, the proportion of respondents who knew certain foods and drinks could help prevent heart problems remained unchanged at 81%.

On the down side, the percentage who knew about the preventive effects of fruits and vegetables actually dipped between surveys (49% versus 34% for vegetables, and 36% versus and 32% for fruits).

The survey also showed consumers became more conscious of food labels and claims made on food packaging between the 2002 and 2008 surveys.

The proportion of consumers who said they read a product nutrition label often before buying for the first time increased from 44% in 2002 to 54% in 2008.

Similar gains showed up in the proportion who read labels to see how healthy the food was (55% in 2008 versus 48% in 2002) and to check vitamin, fat, sodium, and calorie content (66% versus 59%).

And what difference has this "attention" made?

You decide - the USA is still getting fatter.