Irish people have a great desire to improve their health, but many are struggling to find a way to eat healthily without going off track, according to a new study from Bord Bia.
Research from Bord Bia‘s Insight Centre, The Thinking House, has found that 7 in 10 Irish people want help eating more healthy food.
The research focused on Irish attitudes towards diet, grocery shopping, eating habits and cooking. Grace Binchy, Consumer Insight Manager at Bord Bia, spoke about the importance of the study to Ireland’s food and drink industry:
“This level of knowledge and consumer understanding allows our food and drink producers, selling at home and abroad, to make well informed business decisions that serve customers’ needs better.
For instance, we know that nearly 70% of those surveyed want help to eat well. With this in mind, manufacturers should consider how they can help people to do just that, as well as digest nutritional labelling, create convenience in their lives and address changing perceptions around sustainability.”
Some key findings from the study include one third of Irish people believing that their eating habits are becoming healthier, while the perception of ‘low fat’ as a healthy choice is experiencing a decline.
More than half of Irish people are checking for sugar content and nearly three quarters of people are conscious of their children’s sugar intake.
People are also trying to eat less sugar, bad fat, salt, soft drinks, breads, cereals, rice and pasta. Parents are trying to give their children a balanced diet, but admit that it’s difficult to get kids to eat vegetables.
Looking to the kitchen and 25% of men are solely responsible for cooking in the home, while half of people bring their own lunch to work, with less people going out for lunch.
More than half of Irish people feel it’s important to buy local, with three quarters of people checking their food for country of origin and quality symbols.
The research involves over 8,000 interviews and was carried out across eight countries – Ireland and the UK, four European markets, along with the US and China.
For full reports and country summaries, visit www.bordbia.ie.