More consumers are focusing on improving their diets in the new year, according to a Consumers Food Insight Report from Purdue University. Of the 1,200 consumers included in the study, 25 percent, or 300 people, said they had a nutrition-related goal. This is up 6 percent from last year’s report, when 19 percent of consumers in the study had a nutrition-related goal.
Elijah Bryant, survey research analyst and co-author of the study, said he found that when deciding what food to buy, consumers consider taste the most, along with affordability and nutrition. On a 100-point scale, consumers had an average point allocation of 26, 23.4 and 21.3 out of 100 respectively. Consumers valued environmental impact (8.01) and social responsibility (7.92) the least.
Bryant also found that rising food prices do not significantly impact consumer spending decisions. In January 2022, Americans spent an average of $159 a week on groceries. In January 2024, that weekly expense increased to $191. Food inflation is decreasing, but is still positive; this means that prices are increasing at a slower rate. The slower rate could be due to the Federal Reserve’s increases in interest rates and adjustment after the pandemic, when prices spiked.
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“Even though food prices are increasing with inflation, food tends to be what economists would call an inelastic good,” Bryant said. “When you think of something like eggs, it's a common household food item that many people will buy, regardless of changes in price.”
Despite common opinion, it is not always more expensive to eat healthier, Bryant said. A USDA report demonstrates that junk food prices, such as fats, sugar and oil, increased nearly nine percent in the last year. Healthier food items, such as fruits and vegetables, saw less than a 1 percent increase in price. The price of sugar has increased due to poor growing conditions.
“If you're looking at the cost per calorie of food, then yes, an unhealthy food is likely to be a lot more affordable,” Bryant said. “But when typically looking at the quantity or the typical portion of food, you see that healthy foods a lot of times actually are more affordable than people think.”
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The Healthy Eating Index, a measure of diet quality, shows Americans score an average of 58 out of 100.
“If you put that into letter grade terms, that would be considered a failing grade,” Bryant said. “We do find people are a little overly optimistic or overly confident in their diets; it shows a bit of a disparity between healthy eating and the score and people's perceptions of their own diet.”
Seventy percent of consumers in the Purdue study had a resolution related to improving their health. Sixty percent of consumers identified as overweight listed weight loss as their primary motivator in trying to eat healthier. Twenty-six percent of consumers identified as non-overweight had weight loss as their primary motivator.
Forty-six percent reported they found cravings as an obstacle in achieving their resolution to eat healthier. Bryant said a Pew Research study showed that 41 percent of Americans do not follow through on their food-related resolutions.
The report measured consumer trust in sources that relay food-related information; primary care physicians are the most trusted source, along with government organizations that support food systems, such as the FDA and USDA. Fast food companies are the least trusted source of nutrition-related information. There have been no significant changes in these numbers in the last few years.