Too many scary food stories. Too many choices. Why has it become so hard to enjoy cooking? Our Future of Wellness research this year tells the story: People are confused by food.
Too many scary food stories. Too many choices. Why has it become so hard to enjoy cooking? Our Future of Wellness research this year tells the story: People are confused by food.
Last week, my New Hope Natural Media colleagues Nancy Coulter-Parker and Dave Kingsbury presented a sneak peek of findings from this year’s Future of Wellness, a research project that talks to real people in their homes to find out exactly what they’re thinking about health, wellness, food and more. (Hear and see the full presentation at Expo West, March 9, at 12:15pm.)
My main takeaway: People are really, really stressed. And they’re afraid of food.
What I'm hearing is that there is now so much information—a constant barrage of new studies, media articles, cooking shows, product details, etc.—that people are exhausted trying to figure out what they “should” eat.
“The pressure to know what food to buy is almost unbearable,” Coulter-Parker said. “People are confused, disgusted and infuriated.”
And because of this, many people are nervous about cooking and feeding themselves and their families, but they desperately desire to feed them well.
As Delicious Living’s food editor, my immediate thought is: How can I help?
What can I do to convince people that cooking at home is fun, easy, and healthy? What are the missing pieces (education? product picks? more recipes? how-to videos?) that people need in order to enjoy cooking at home? What can or should stores do to reduce shoppers’ anxiety and help them take pleasure in food again?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
