BATTLE OF THE BUZZ HOW CONSUMER NEWS MAY DRIVE UNNECESSARY CONTROVERSY AND INGREDIENT AVOIDANCEIn the digital age, food and beverage manufacturers are continually on the defensive as consumers are bombarded with a flood of misinformation from social media and consumer news about the impact of food on health and wellness.

SO HOW SHOULD MANUFACTURERS SEPARATE THE BLUFF FROM THE BUZZ?A recent study conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) at George Mason University evaluated the release of scientific research on food ingredients, specifically high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and how that perpetuates consumer ingredient avoidance as uncovered by Cornell University, Mintel Consulting and Nielsen. Here’s what the studies found:

COVERAGE WAS UNBALANCED: Although science released from 2004 to 2013 was fairly balanced, 90% of consumer news coverage told only one side of the story.

SOURCES WERE MOSTLY ANONYMOUS: Of academic experts cited within the news coverage, 46% were not named. In the stories that did cite experts, just five scientists accounted for 43% of all opinions.

COVERAGE LACKED CONTEXT: Just 16% of coverage was supported by scientific evidence. Of that coverage, less than 20% was placed in context of earlier scientific findings.1

SO HOW DOES ALL OF THIS BUZZ IMPACT CONSUMER ATTITUDES AND PURCHASE BEHAVIOR?

CONSUMERS SAY THEY AVOID CERTAIN INGREDIENTS, BUT PURCHASE DATA SHOWS THEY DON’T

1 George Mason University, “Media Coverage of High Fructose Corn Syrup and Other Nutritive Sweeteners,” The Center for Media and Public Affairs, 20142 Cornell University, “Ingredient-Based Food Fears and Avoidance: Antecedents and Antidotes,” Food Quality and Preference, 20143 Sweetener360; Mintel Consulting and Nielsen, October 2013

MOST CONSUMER NEWS COVERAGE IGNORES SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS

90%

INGREDIENT AVOIDANCE LIKELY DRIVEN BY SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONSUMER NEWS Consumers who say they avoid a certain ingredient are two times as likely to receive information about sweeteners from the Internet than those who don’t claim to avoid sweeteners.

Consumers who say they avoid HFCS displayed a higher need for telling their friends about their organic and/or natural food and beverage purchases.2

If consumers say they avoid an ingredient, does it really pan out when they make purchases?

2X

of consumer segments say they avoid specific sweeteners, but purchase data shows that each segment buys sweetened products in proportion to their size.3

OVERCOMING THE BUZZ WITH THE FACTS

CONSUMER NEWS MAY IGNORE SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS TO DRIVE READERSHIP, CREATING FALSE CONTROVERSYAT THE EXPENSE OFTELLING CONSUMERSTHE FULL STORY.

EVEN WHEN CONSUMERS SAY THEY ARE ACTIVELYAVOIDING SOMETHING,PURCHASE BEHAVIOR SHOWS THEY DON’TALWAYS ACT ONWHAT THEY SAY.

FOOD AND BEVERAGEMANUFACTURERS SHOULD FOCUS ON ACTUAL PURCHASE DATA FOR EACH OF THEIR CONSUMERSEGMENTS IN ORDER TO DELIVER AGAINST TRUE CONSUMER DEMAND.

REPORTED INGREDIENTAVOIDANCE INFLUENCES FOOD AND BEVERAGEMANUFACTURERS TO MAKE UNNECESSARY CHANGES TO FORMULATIONS AND MARKETING STRATEGIES.

WIDESPREADMISINFORMATIONFROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONSUMER NEWS MAY MOTIVATE CONSUMERS TOSAY THEY AVOID SPECIFIC FOOD INGREDIENTS.

TO GET THE FULL STORY ON HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONSUMER NEWS MAY INFLUENCE ATTITUDES AND PURCHASE BEHAVIOR, DOWNLOAD THE “BATTLE OF THE BUZZ” WHITE PAPER HERE.