IFIC Spotlight Survey: Americans’ Perceptions & Priorities on Healthy Eating

Download the survey here

The International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned an online survey among U.S. consumers to measure knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about healthy eating. One thousand adults ages 18 years and older completed the online survey from December 5-10, 2024, and respondents were weighted to ensure proportional results.

Key findings include:

  • Most Americans say exercising or eating a balanced diet is the most important action people can take to be healthy.
  • 1 in 4 Americans do not think about how healthy their diet is very often.
  • To eat healthy, time spent planning, preparing, and cooking is considered more essential than spending more money.
  • Americans say their health, budget, and preferences have the most influence on what and how they eat and drink.
  • Most Americans would first look at the Nutrition Facts label or the ingredients list to quickly check if a packaged food or beverage is healthy.
  • More than half of Americans think about food as fuel and flavor, followed by health.
  • 3 in 4 Americans agree that “food is medicine.”