Moms, Millennials and foodies alike have some trepidation about the rising cost of food, particularly healthy food. In a web-based survey conducted last year by the Center for Food Integrity, 2,005 respondents were asked to rate their level of concern about 18 different "most concerning life issues" on a scale of 0 to 10. The rising cost of food tied with mounting health care costs as the top concerns for 2014. In all, 72 percent of respondents ranked those two as high level concerns (a score of 8 to 10). The U.S. economy was a high-level concern for 70 percent of respondents, followed by another food-related issue, keeping healthy food affordable, at 69 percent. The rising cost of energy was also a top level concern for 66 percent of respondents.
The survey participants represented the general U.S. consumer population and were segmented into three groups of special interest: moms, Millennials and foodies. For moms, the rising cost of food was the top concern, while Millennials and foodies were most worried about keeping healthy food affordable.
Other food concerns shared among all groups were imported food safety (63 percent), general food safety (62 percent), enough food to feed the U.S. (55 percent), humane treatment of farm animals (49 percent), environmental sustainability in farming (49 percent), and access to accurate information to make healthy food choices (49 percent).
The 2014 survey did show positive trends in attitudes about food production. When asked if the food system was headed in the right direction, 42 percent of participants said yes- up 8 percent from 2013.
Those of us involved in production agriculture could answer questions and further alleviate some of these fears, but consumers aren't necessarily reaching out to us for more information. When it comes to acquiring knowledge to make food choices, the top ranked source for all three groups was internet websites. For moms, other family members were their second choice, while Millennials and foodies were more likely to reach out to their friends.
The internet came into play again, though, as Google searches were third on the list for all three groups. With such a strong presence in consumers' quest for information, credible, reliable websites that find their way to the top of these internet searches must be a goal for those of us trying to educate and promote agricultural practices.
| Moms | Millennials | Foodies |
| Websites (21%) | Websites (22%) | Websites (25%) |
| Family- Not online (12%) | Friends- Not online (16%) | Friends- Not online (15%) |
| Google (12%) | Google (15%) | Google (15%) |
| Local TV station (12%) | Family- Not online (13%) | Family- Not online (10%) |
| Friends- Not online (11%) | Friends- Online (8%) | Food specific TV program/networks (9%) |
The author is an associate editor and covers animal health, dairy housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a master's degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor's from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
