What is driving increases in dietary quality in the United States?

Publication date: Available online 3 June 2019Source: Food PolicyAuthor(s): Travis A. Smith, Pourya Valizadeh, Biing-Hwan Lin, Ellen CoatsAbstractOver 1994–2010, adult dietary quality in the United States increased by 10 percent. We find a shift in consumption between at-home and away-from-home food played a relatively minor role as compared to changes in demographics and educational attainment. The two largest contributors we identify include an increased usage of nutritional information and a shift away from relying heavily on price, taste, storability and ease of preparation when shopping for food. Our findings suggest nutrition policy discussions could focus on further shifting attitudes/preferences towards healthier diets while allowing consumers to better extract nutrition information when making food choices.
Source: Food Policy - Category: Food Science Source Type: research