It’s undeniably common knowledge that a diet that’s low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and lean protein is essential for good health. So why aren’t more people practicing what they know? The answer might just be a generational disconnect, according to a new report from Chicago, IL-based The NPD Group.
 
In Healthy Eating Strategies by Generation, Dori Hickey, study author and director of product development at The NPD Group, discovered that older generations are generally more apt to follow a healthier diet than younger generations, however, four out of five adults (nearly 170 million people) follow a diet in need of serious quality improvements.
 
The report identified gaps between actual consumption behaviors and intentions, and found that younger generations—Generation X, Y and younger Boomers, ages 21 to 54—have the least healthful diets. The report also confirmed that older consumers aged 54 and up have the greatest need to eat healthy and are often driven to more nutritious food choices due to underlying medical conditions.
 
Despite their different approaches to eating, the report identified a common thread uniting the divided generations: a shared understanding of what constitutes healthy eating. Specifically, adult consumers, across generations, were able to define the basic tenets of healthy eating consistently and were aware of the top characteristics of healthy eating and of a healthy lifestyle—exercising regularly, eating well-balanced meals, the benefit of observing moderation, limiting and/or avoiding foods with saturated fat or cholesterol or trans fats, and drinking at least eight glasses of water per day.
 
“Educating consumers about proper health and nutrition need not be the primary goal for food manufacturers,” said Ms. Hickey. “Connecting the dots for consumers in terms of a product benefit to a fundamental characteristic of healthy eating is more the challenge.”
 
The average consumer’s understanding of healthy eating also included a good basic understanding of the concept of a food’s nutritional value. According to the report, which draws on NPD’s continual tracking of actual consumption behavior over the past three decades, almost 85 million adults ranked nutritional value/healthful as number one or number two in importance as a need driver in deciding what to eat and drink; taste and price/value were in the top three for the three younger generations. For older consumers, freshness superseded price/value in ranked importance.
 
While many aspects of their diets could use improvement, overall, the largest deficiencies in adults’ diets are insufficient intake of fruits, vegetables and dairy products, and over consumption of total fats. Consumption of total fats is the most critical for those aged 54 and older.
 
“It comes down to adult consumers needing help to improve the healthfulness of their diets,” said Ms. Hickey. “Knowing which consumer groups need the most help and understanding how to address consumers’ current and future needs and desires for healthy food is the opportunity for food and beverage marketers.”
 
The Generational Eating report did not include any information relating to attitudes and/or behaviors of the role of dietary supplements in a healthy diet, although Ms. Hickey said The NPD Group does collect information on usage of selected vitamins/minerals, which could be looked at by generational group. However, to do so would require a custom analysis.
 
She concluded by noting that by understanding consumer aspirations and intentions to eat healthy and where the gaps are between those intentions and actual behavior, food and beverage companies can use the information contained within the report to identify new product opportunities.