Seen the latest fad diet? Following a new food guru?
Confused about what to eat? You’re not alone. Nutritional
advice is the biggest source of misinformation online. For
consumers, it’s a mess of conflicting fads and facts. For
producers, it’s walking a minefield of science and marketing
hype. How can Kiwi producers build trust in a world of
nutritional noise?
- Trust in food information is at all-time low; diet and nutrition advice is the largest category of misinformation on social media.
- Disagreements among experts and changing ‘official’ advice creates uncertainty.
- Greenwashing and overclaims by manufacturers add to confusion.
- Recent updates to the US food guidelines suggest an opportunity for ‘real food’ marketing and story-telling.
- New Zealand can build on its reputation for safety and integrity with a renewed determination to make credible, evidence-based nutritional and sustainability claims.
- Information and expertise are readily available but the lack of curiosity and anti-intellectual ‘can do’ attitude holds us back.
- Real food requires real science and real expenditure.
