Consumers need clear information about food to avoid confusion when new food safety and nutrition research comes out. That’s according to Dr Moira Dean, a senior lecturer in Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), whose research looks at food choice and consumer behaviour.
“When consumers see conflicting information – perhaps a piece of research one day saying ‘eat this food’, then a week later, research saying ‘do not eat the same food’ – they have difficulty making sense of that apparent conflict,” says Moira.
“This is sometimes down to how research is portrayed in the media, rather than being a true reflection of how research works, in stops and starts, with the interpretations depending on the assumptions you make and the data you have.”
She cites examples, such as the push to encourage people to eat whole grain rice, yet the burden of arsenic in the plant resides in the outer husk. Consumers are also advised to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, but those foods can sometimes be contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals.
“If consumers get the full information from the start about benefits and risks, and also how to reduce risks – maybe by cooking rice a certain way and washing fruit and veg – then they get a more balanced picture,” says Moira.
“When the media reports new research, consumers can then put the risks into context. Treat the public as people who can understand issues and make informed decisions, rather than taking the paternalistic attitude of only telling them the benefits from a public health perspective. The underlying message is the same: eat a variety of food in small quantities, to get the nutritional benefits of different foods and to spread your risk.”
Complex food choices
Food experts also need to take the big and complex picture of our food choices into account, adds Moira, who originally studied physics and worked as a teacher before studying psychology and researching consumer choices around organic food, whole grains and older-age eating habits.
Her more recent safefood-supported research at QUB has identified cultural and practical influences that affect our portion sizes and shopping habits.
“On the island of Ireland, food is seen as social. If you invite people to your house, it is friendly to give biscuits as well as tea, but that can lead to eating too many of them,” she says. “Likewise, a lot of food shopping is done through habit and as quickly as possible. That can lead to bad habits, so perhaps consumers should spend a little more time every so often looking at alternatives, new products and new options.”
Essential advice
A central tenet of Moira’s research is that we should eat ‘essential’ foods when we are hungry. “We should distinguish between what is an essential, basic food that satisfies hunger, and treats. When you want a treat, then have an indulgent food, rather than eating chocolate or crisps when we are hungry. This is one small change we can all make for our health.”
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