Global Trends in Healthy Eating

Eating healthy is a goal for most people, but often times a difficult one to regularly achieve. Work and family responsibilities often make time scarce, and it is easier to go out to restaurants or prepare ready-made meals at home.

The Nielsen Company gauged the world’s view of healthy eating, organics and other related issues earlier this year as part of a global online survey, polling more than 27,000 consumers in 55 markets from Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East/Africa (consisting of countries from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and South Africa), North America and Latin America. The views were diverse, but at the very least, most people want to do right when it comes to the foods they consume.
Healthy Eating Uptake Faces Barriers

Financial concerns (33%) proved to be a major, but not the primary, obstacle to healthy eating around the world. The biggest barrier was a perceived time crunch for survey respondents, with 35% of consumers agreeing to the statement that “I don’t always eat healthily because I haven’t got time”. Availability (26%), confusion about which foods are healthy (24%), substandard taste (25%) and the desire to treat oneself (41%) were the other main considerations.
Organic foods

Organic foods were popular with 40% of survey respondents, particularly shoppers in Asia Pacific where 47% said they buy organic, Latin America at 45% and Middle East/Africa/Pakistan at 43%. North America falls well below the global average, with only 24% of consumers saying they actively buy organic. Thirty-five percent of Europeans say they actively buy organic products preventing healthy eating.
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Source: Nielsen Wire