2023 Food and Health Survey

An online survey of 1,022 Americans ages 18 to 80. Fielding took place between April 3rd and April 10th, 2023.

Study uncovers consumer insights around the rising cost of food, stress and well-being, the influence of social media on food and nutrition decisions, evolving eating patterns, climate consciousness, and healthy labels as purchase drivers.

Download full report below.

Impact of rising foods prices

• 91% of respondents saw an increase in food and beverage prices over the past year (72% noted a “major” increase), up from 83% who said the same thing in 2021
  • Among those people, nearly half (47%) said they always or often cut back on nonessential food and beverage products
• Price is taking a toll on the healthfulness of Americans’ diets: Nearly 3 in 10 consumers who noticed higher food prices in 2023 said they made less healthy choices as a result
• Price is becoming a stronger factor in food and beverage purchasing decisions overall
  • 76% say price is a motivator, up from 68% in 2022
  • Note, price trails taste at #1 with 87% saying taste has an impact on food and beverage decisions

Stress and dietary decisions

• About three-quarters of Americans (74%) believed the foods and beverages they consume have a significant or moderate impact on their overall well-bein
  • 61% believed their overall well-being has a significant or moderate impact on their food choices
• As a result of stress, 51% of Americans say they consumed less healthy food and beverages over the past six months compared to their typical consumption
• 60% reported being somewhat or very stressed in 2023, a slight increase over 2022 (56%)
  • Gen Z and Millennial respondents were more likely to report stress than their older counterparts

Social media’s role in nutritional choices

• 42% said they have come across social media content about food and nutrition in the past yea
  • Exposure to this content is inversely proportional with age, with Gen Z (71%) and Millennials (58%) reporting the highest exposure as compared to older generations
• 67% said they trust that information at least a little; 21% trust it a lot
• There is a disconnect between where people see content and how trustworthy they find those sources
  • Facebook is the most popular social platform for food and nutrition content, cited as the source for 64% of respondents who reported seeing such content. But only 18% trust Facebook a lot
  • Food and nutrition content was seen by only 6% on LinkedIn, whereas 52% say they trust its content a lot
  • 11% saw content on Reddit and 28% report trusting it a lot
• 60% of those who reported seeing food-related social media content said that it encouraged them to make at least somewhat healthier choices
• 68% of consumers reported seeing a lot of conflicting information on social media about foods to eat or avoid — and 60% said that conflicting information makes them doubt their food choices

Healthy Labels

• When given the option of buying a hypothetical snack product labeled “healthy” vs. an otherwise identical product without such a label, consumers chose the “healthy” option 55% to 16%
• 40% of in-person shoppers report buying products labeled as “natural” regularly (#1 term)
  • 30% regularly buy labels with “no added hormones or steroids” as well as “organic”
• Overall, people who shop in-person are more likely to check food labels (55% always or often check labels) than online shoppers (46% always or often check labels)

Eating for the earth

• Fewer consumers in 2023 cited environmental sustainability as a driver of their food and beverage purchases (34% in 2023 vs. 39% in 2022)
• 35% said that “climate friendliness” impacted their choices about at least some of the foods they eat, while 43% said it didn’t make much or any impact at all
  • Millennials were the most likely to report such impacts (46%), followed by Gen Z (39%), Gen X (38%) and Boomers (22%)
• Indications That a Product “Minimizes Carbon Footprint/Climate Impact”
  • 43% - recyclable packaging
  • 37% - reusable packaging
  • 36% - packaging made of recycled materials
  • 35% - labeled as locally grown
  • 33% - labeled as organic