52% would like more information about how to choose a sustainable diet
A new survey conducted by YouGov for Arla Foods of more than 8,000 consumers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Germany, has revealed that two thirds (66%) do not see nutrition as part of sustainable diets. Becoming ‘nutrition blind’ can have unintended consequences for our health, says public health nutritionist.
While the majority of the consumers in the four countries say that they try to make sustainable choices wherever they can, their attention is mostly on carbon footprint, biodiversity, packaging and animal welfare. The nutritional value of the food product is to a much lesser extent being considered when choosing a sustainable diet. Only one in three (34%) consumers say that they associate nutrition with sustainable diets.
Sustainable diets, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, consist of multiple essential components which include the environmental impact but also the nutritional value of the diet.
Arla’s survey shows a clear desire among Northern European consumers to find out more information about how to make their diets more sustainable. However, half (49%) of them feel confused about how to eat sustainably and 52% state that they would like more information.