Put your money where your mouth is
Take notice, food and beverage giants: U.S. consumers don't mind digging deeper into their pockets if you'll give them healthier stuff to buy.
In the latest consumer survey, Consumer Attitudes About Nutrition, 60 percent of consumers say they're willing to pay extra for healthy foods. This is a turnabout from recent years. Past surveys had showed a trend in the opposite direction, with consumers resistant to the idea of paying more for healthier products.
The survey was based on 1,000 responses that were collected randomly online, which doesn't make it exactly scientific, but nonetheless…
According to other surveys that have been done, we're willing to pay more if it means that companies will get the trans fats out of their products and substitute it with things that are actually good for us—such as the virgin olive oil and polyunsaturated fats I wrote about last week in House Calls.
I think we have all been inundated with enough health-horror stories to last us a lifetime. I'd say that's incentive enough to want to make—and pay for—healthier eating choices.
Also, I think we all would like those choices to be easier to make. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote to you about the real meaning of "0 grams of trans fats," which, according to the FDA, falls short of really meaning no such fats. Over half of the Consumer Attitudes survey responders said they aren't likely to buy foods that have any trans fats listed on the labels.
Are you listening, food giants?
This latest consumer survey doesn't mean we want to toss out all our favorite "bad" indulgences. Two-thirds of those surveyed still wanted their guilty pleasures, but would be willing to purchase the healthier versions of those products.
And consumers are in the driver's seat—as they always have been. This means you: Every time you go into a store and make a purchase, you are voting with your wallet. And believe me, any industry that's dependent on profits (i.e. all of them) keeps a close eye on what it is you want—and are willing to part with your dollars for.
