Unilever Food Solutions’s recently released World Menu Report has found that 70% of U.S. Consumers would like more information explaining the nutritional value and sources of the food they order while dining out. Nearly 70% also responded that they would made healthier choices if they could access clear nutritional information.
The survey covered seven countries, including the United States, Germany, China and Brazil. 3,500 diners answered questions designed to measure attitudes around the world towards dining out. All survey participants eat at least one meal a week outside the home.
Despite the high amount of requests for more nutritional, sourcing and preparation information, 83% of diners reported that the information was not available when they dined out. Surprisingly, other countries showed higher demand for food information. Developing nations like Brazil and Turkey had nearly 90% of respondents request extra information when dining out.
This clearly shows that consumers around the world are changing their attitudes about food. Healthy, safe foods are becoming more of a priority for diners in both the United States and other countries. No longer is taste the only deciding factor in restaurant food choices. Chefs and menu planners who are interested in capturing more demanding diners will shown have to add more in-depth nutritional information to their menus. Without adequate transparency they may fall behind restaurants that choose to share information with consumers.
Unilever Food Solutions produced the survey to help enhance their own food offerings, which are designed to help restaurants produce quality food with less time consuming preparation work. The company produces many meat and fresh vegetable products that become part of diner’s meals across the world. Understanding how much information consumers need to make healthy choices will help them tailor their offerings to new demands.