A recent study found that how consumers perceive the healthfulness of carbohydrate-containing foods differs from how experts rate them. In addition, rating systems which reflect how experts rate the healthfulness of foods showed lack of agreement.

The research focused on 20 representative carbohydrate-containing foods, finding “substantial consumer-expert misalignment” across foods such as white rice, white bread, corn tortilla and fruit juice with vitamin C. The authors suggest that those foods be an early priority of nutrition education and communication efforts to bridge the consumer-expert perception gap and promote healthier diets.

In the new study, researchers found that “across these 20 foods, 85% received a low consumer-to-expert Alignment Grade (C or D) and 75% received an ‘Uncertain’ expert classification for healthfulness, revealing widespread and previously unquantified educational gaps.”

The first-of-its-kind quantitative belief-mapping study appears in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Nutrition Association and was supported by IAFNS Carbohydrates Committee. The authors say the approach is extendable to other foods, populations and health attributes for more effective nutrition communication, labeling and policy.

Diet and Health

Achieving a healthy diet represents one of the best strategies for reducing the global burden of chronic disease and mitigating related economic costs. However, the study shows a need for greater agreement among experts and better consumer education on carbohydrate foods recommended as part of a healthful diet pattern.

The researchers found that when it comes to carbohydrate-containing foods, consumer misperceptions tend to skew negatively, although the direction and magnitude vary by food. Notably among the foods surveyed, potato-based foods (French fries, chips, and baked potatoes) and unbuttered air-popcorn were rated less healthy by consumers than by the five harmonized expert nutrition rating systems. In contrast, honey was the most positively misperceived food, being rated as healthier by consumers than by experts.

Starting with expert systems is important because they transparently encode the “why” behind each rating, which offers a direct path to improving consistency going forward.

Even among experts, there is disagreement on what is more or less healthful when it comes to carbohydrate foods. The findings indicate that nutrition profiling systems, which reflect expert advice, often diverge in assessing the healthfulness of commonly consumed carbohydrate containing foods, with the exception of fruits and vegetables.

The study concludes “Cumulatively, this first-of-its-kind health belief mapping method provides a tool to identify and prioritize key areas for improving alignment, developing messages, and building consistency among nutrition experts in terms of the most impactful food choice decisions.”

The findings suggest opportunities to improve how nutrition science is communicated to the public: 85% of the 20 foods exhibited misalignment between consumers and experts (Alignment Grade C or D) and 75% were classified as Uncertain in terms of their healthfulness by nutrition profiling systems developed by experts.

According to authors Josh Erndt-Marino with Bespoke Analytics and Alyssa Ghirardelli with NORC at the University of Chicago: “There are two priorities. First, improve consistency in how and why carbohydrate-containing foods are rated across food rating systems developed by experts, including how uncertainty and disagreement are communicated. Second, in consumer messaging, prioritize misperceptions about the healthfulness of commonly consumed foods such as white rice, white bread, corn tortillas, and fruit juice with vitamin C.”

The paper is available here.

The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) is committed to leading positive change across the food and beverage ecosystem. This paper was supported by IAFNS Carbohydrates Committee. IAFNS is a 501(c)(3) science-focused nonprofit uniquely positioned to mobilize government, industry and academia to drive, fund and lead actionable research. iafns.org

NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society. www.norc.org