Sales of Nutritionally Improved Foods Outpace Traditional Counterparts

A s evidence grows about the role of diet in long-term health, consumers show increasing interest in improving the healthfulness of their diets. Consumers report that they are changing what they eat and the ways they prepare foods. According to a 1995 annual survey by the Food Marketing Institute, 63 percent of respondents reported they were eating more fruits and vegetables, 34 percent reported eating less fats and oils, and 43 percent reported eating less meat to ensure their diet was healthy. A recent study by USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) confirms that consumers are interested in nutrition and changing the types of foods they purchase. According to the study using data on food items that are scanned at the checkout registers, supermarket sales of nutritionally improved foods grew faster than sales of their regular counterparts in U.S. supermarkets between 1989 and 1993---despite their usually costing more than regular versions