“This 'nutritional naivete' will continue to offset much of the positive outreach being done to combat obesity and other diseases in the U.S.. Consumers need better tools to make intelligent decisions. The data show a glaring lack of understanding of the basics of nutrition and help make it easy to see why the right messages aren't getting through. Ongoing changes in food labeling and better access to diet and nutritional information will help get to the root of this problem.”
“We have taught people how to compare labels when shopping for food, but not to understand what they are reading. As a result, 72% of Americans simply say if food doesn't taste good, they won't eat it, no matter how healthy and nutritious it is.”
“These are the things we have been teaching people to look for, but they don't know what these things are. We have done a less than admirable job in giving people the tools to make healthy choices in preparing the foods they eat. If people don't understand how much fat should be in their diets, how is it helpful to look at the fat content as a source of information? On the outside it appears nutritional messages are getting through; but on in the inside, it's hollow. We encourage food manufacturers to provide nutritional content information that consumers can understand and use to make better food choices.”
