Consumer Concerns About Food and Nutrition

Abstract

Until recently, there was no comprehensive determination of consumers’ beliefs and attitudes toward food and nutrition. Most information that had been obtained was marketing information gathered by special interests, primarily unpublished data for in-house use. In the 1970s, federal government agencies began to take a lead in conducting such studies as part of the national effort to provide better information about food and nutrition to consumers, especially in food labeling. While it generally is accepted that consumers have heightened concerns about nutrition and safety of the food supply, the extent and cause of that concern is not yet fully known. To clarify some of the relevant issues, information has been distilled from dairy industry marketing reports and from reports of hearings and surveys by the Food and Drug Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, and the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection. In the final analysis, we do not have full understanding of the many interacting factors which help mold beliefs and attitudes of consumers; this lack is especially evident in the sensitive issues associated with food, nutrition, and health. © 1982, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.