Sylvia RowePresident and CEO

International Food Information Council (IFIC)

IFT Obesity SummitNew Orleans, LA

February 16, 2004

The Role of the Media in Influencing Healthy Lifestyles

International Food InformationCouncil (IFIC) and IFIC Foundation

Mission: To communicate science-based information on food safety and nutrition to health and nutrition professionals, educators, government officials, journalists and others providing information to consumers.

Primarily supported primarily by the broad-based food, beverage and agricultural industries.

IFIC Foundation Web Site:

ific.org

IFIC Foundation’s Food Insight

•45,000 Circulation

•7% International

•6,000 Media

Fergus Clydesdale, PhD

Wellness

ResearchPolicy

Consumers

Disease

MediaHealth Professionals Doctors

Paradigm Shift

Most popular sources of foodand nutrition information

• Television 72%• Magazines 58%• Newspapers 33%

ADA Trends Survey, 2002ADA Trends Survey, 2002

61%61%

65%69%

79%82%

85%87%

90%90%

92%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Internet

Radio news

TV news

Nurses

Nutritionists

Doctors

Value of Nutrition Information Sources—”Very Valuable”

ADA Trends Survey 2000

Characteristics of News

• Information the Public Needs to Know• Impact on People—Will They Care?• Unusual or Unexpected• Dramatic, Emotional or Touching• Is There Conflict or Tension?• Proximity to Community• Timeliness• Good Pictures?• Is It Exclusive?

Media in Transition

• Pressure for something “new” every 45 seconds• Fewer TV medical and health reporters, qualified

print food editors and writers• Critical role of wires• Increasing verticality of media ownership• Proliferation of viewing/listening options including

Internet• Increasing globalization of media• Health/obesity is hot issue

Preparedness of Journalists

45%

55%

58%

58%

59%

75%

6%

14%

19%

22%

15%

34%

31%

37%

47%

47%

35%

20%

23%28%

19%

6%

9%

8%

9%

10%

13%

18%

2%

4%

4%

4%

5%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Engineering

National/international business news

International news

Personal finance

Science & technology

Economics

Religion & spirituality

National news

Healthcare

Family issues

Environmental issues

News from across your state

Land use and development

Local business & financial news

Terrorism

State government news

Education

Extremely Well ("5" rating)

Good ("5" or "4" rating)

Jeff Cowart, FACS

Consumer Confusion

Sixty-one percent (61%) of respondents agreed with this statement:“There is too much conflicting information about which foods are healthy and which are not.”

FMI Shopping for Health, 2001

Consumer Confusion

• Multiple messages from multiple sources• Public skepticism about expert opinions• Public misunderstanding of reports on scientific

findings and results• Increased media coverage without physical activity

and nutrition recommendations• Corporate marketing strategies and health claims• Competing real life and lifestyle demands

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Make That Steak a Bit Smaller, Atkins Advises Today’s Dieters

By Marian Burros

January 18, 2004

The Importance of Context

Food For Thought Research

A Quantitative and Qualitative Content Analysis of Diet, Nutrition and

Food Safety Reporting

Commissioned By: International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation

Conducted By: Center for Media and Public Affairs

Release Date: January 2004

Food For Thought V

Food For Thought V

• Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Food News—1215 Stories

• May through July 2003• 40 News Media Outlets

– 12 Magazines– 10 Newspapers– 2 Wire Services– 7 Local Television Stations– 4 National Television Networks– 5 Online News Sites

Food For Thought V

Food For Thought V

AMOUNT OF COVERAGE—NUMBER OF STORIES

979810

1260 1075 1215

586 488711 732 749

257 235 165 98 130

125 75 119 101 251

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

Magazines Television Newspapers/Wires Total Stories Food For Thought V

Food For Thought V

KEY FINDINGS• Obesity is the Lens Through Which All Issues Are Viewed• Functional Foods - Leading Source of Benefits• Biotech Focus Shifts to Trade Issues• Dietary Fats Resurge Due to Trans Debate• Government Experts Weigh-In• More Context Being Offered

Food For Thought V

Top Five Topics Of Discussion

2003 2001 1999 1997 1995

Obesity 15% — — — —

Functional Foods 9% 13% 13% 7% 10%

Disease Risk Reduction 9% 9% 13% 8% 10%

Fat Intake 8% 4% 6% 10% 18%

Food Biotechnology 8% 12% 6% — —

Food For Thought V

Top Benefits Most Frequently Associated With Foods

2003 2001 1999 1997 1995Reduced Heart Disease Risks 28% 23% 36% 25% 26%Weight Management 18% 3% 6% 10% 9%Reduced Cancer Risk 13% 18% 18% 19% 18%General – Improved Health 11% 22% 14% 13% 14%Improved Memory 7% 2% <1% — —Increased Resistance to Disease 6% 13% 6% 9% 5%Reduced Osteoporosis Risk 4% 1% 5% — —Reduction of Foodborne Illness 3% <1% <1% — —

Food For Thought V

Sources of Benefit2003 2001 1999 1997 1995

Consume Functional Foods 23% 22% 20% 18% 14%Physical Activity 14% — — — —Eat Fruits and Vegetables 8% 15% 11% 9% 11%Eat Nutritious Meals 6% 2% 3% — —Eat Foods Rich in Vitamins/Minerals 6% 5% 11% 10% 11 %Increase Unsaturated Fat Intake 5% 3% 2% — —Eat Less Food 5% 1% 1% — —Eat Fewer Carbohydrates 4% <1% <1% — —Moderate Alcohol Intake 4% 2% <1% — —Decrease Fat Intake 4% 4% 5% 7% 8 %

Food For Thought V

Top 10 Functional Food Components in the News

2003 2001 1999Omega-3 fatty acids 29% 10% 4%Fiber in general 17% 23% 21%Lycopene 9% 2% 5%Vitamin C 7% 18% 15%Beneficial Fatty Acids in General 5% 1% 11%Plant Sterols in General 5% <1% 3%Prebiotics/Probiotics 4% --- ---Plant estrogens in general 4% 7% 5%Vitamin E 3% 11% 7%Carotenoids 2% 8% 5%

Total Number of Stories 193 299 384Food For Thought V

Top 10 Benefits from Functional Foods

Number of Claims2003 2001 1999

Reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases 175 252 682Reduced risk of cancer 137 274 409Improved health in general 90 256 287Improved memory 78 36 6Weight loss/management 73 16 69Reduced risk of other diseases 43 109 115Reduced osteoporosis 39 16 14Improved mental health 24 5 ---Quicker reaction time 19 5 8Improved fetal health 9 48 23

Food For Thought V

Functional Food Components Linked to Benefits

Top 10Number of Claims

2003 2001 1999Eat more fruits and vegetables 156 262 273Omega-3 fatty acids 155 126 46Increase fiber intake 60 55 192Eat Garlic 56 11 38Increase intake of foods 37 45 72

with antioxidantsLycopene 30 11 30Beneficial fatty acids in general 21 6 32General discussion of plant estrogens 20 8 19Prebiotics 17 --- 1Eat unspecified functional foods 14 42 261

Total Number of Stories 645 1021 1500Food For Thought V

Sources of Harm

2003 2001 1999 1997 1995Trans-fatty Acids 11% 2% 3% — —Saturated Fats 10% 2% 2% — —High Fat Intake 9% 2% 2% 4% 10%High Sodium Intake 6% <1% <1% — —Foodborne Bacteria 6% 19% 30% 29% 19%Too Little Exercise 6% — — — —BSE 5% 2% 2% — —Alcohol 5% 2% 1% 4% 4%Overeating 5% 4% 2% 4% —Too Few Vitamins/Minerals 5% 5% 3% — 5%Metals 4% 2% 2% 4% —Food Biotechnology 4% 17% 11% — —

Food For Thought V

Reports of Harms vs. Benefits

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2003 2001 1999 1997 1995

BenefitsHarms

The Importance of Context

©4/27/97 Jim Borgman, Cincinnati Enquirer

Assessing the Relevance of Health Attributes

2003 2001 1999 1997 1995Scientific Evidence Cited 21% 6% 18% 34% 15%Risk/Benefit Group 17% 16% 13% 12% 15%Amount Consumed 13% 7% 13% 14% 31%Frequency of Consumption 13% 4% 10% 10% 7%Cumulative Effect 2% 1% 1% 2% 1%

Total Mentions 3284 4299 4432 1921 2496

Food For Thought V

Example of Context

“Exercising for 40 minutes can reduce stress. In fact, studies show that working out on a regular basis can be as effective as taking

antidepressants like Prozac.”

—Men’s Health magazine

Amount Scientific Evidence

Reporting of Scientific Research

2003 2001 1999 1997 1995Research Design 92% 81% 89% 88% 74%Dosage Levels 87% 57% 75% 71% 68%Sample Size in Study 80% 65% 63% 65% 43%Publication of Results 74% 61% 53% 48% 40%Use of Control Group 40% 80% 74% 57% 72%Assertion of Causality 36% 5% 5% 4% 4%Source of Funding of Research 26% 8% 13% 13% 11%Method of Exposure 24% 60% 87% 87% 85%Random Selection in Sample 19% 38% 22% 26% 22%Statistical Significance 2% 0% 2% 0% 1%Margin of Error 1% 2% 0% 0% 1%

Food For Thought V

Quoted Sources2003 2001 1999 1997 1995

Federal Government 1 3 3 3 2Food Producers &

Culinary Groups 2 2 2 1 1Scientific Experts, Researchers & Nutrition Experts 3 1 1 2 3

Foreign Governments 4 5 * * *Environmental &

Consumer Groups 5 4 4 5 4Medical Sources 6 6 5 4 5Voluntary Health Groups 7 7 6 7 7Local Government 8 9 7 8 8State Government 9 8 8 6 6

Food For Thought V

Factors Linked to Weight Gain

2003 2001 1999

Eating too much 29% 47% 56%Too little physical activity 28% -- --Failure to eat balanced meals 13% 13% 11%Eating too much carbohydrate 11% 20% 13%Eating too much fat 11% 11% 9%Alcohol intake 2% 1% 6%All others 6% 7% 8%

Food For Thought V

Factors Linked to Weight Loss or Control

2003 2001 1999Reduce overall calorie intake 26% 9% 11%Physical activity 26% -- --Eat fewer carbohydrates/sugar 15% -- 4%Eat more balanced/nutritious meals 13% 7% 14%Eat more fruits & vegetables 8% 12% 7%Fat replacers 3% -- <1%Increase intake of other nutrients 2% -- 14%Snack between meals 2% 7% --Lower fat intake 2% 19% 14%Increase fiber intake 1% 11% 20%Increased monounsaturated fat <1% 14% --Moderate protein consumption <1% 2% 5%All others 2% 19% 11%

Food For Thought V

Factors Linked to Obesity

2003 2001Eating too much 30% 23%Too little activity 30% 16%Failure to eat nutritious meals 18% 39%Genetic predisposition 10% 1%Stress 3% 3%Boredom 2% 2%“Food Addictions” 2% --Anger 1% 1%Too little calcium -- 2%“Sweet tooth” -- 4%Side effects of medical treatment -- 3%Infectious agent -- 2%Imbalances in brain chemistry -- 5%Other Cause 4% 1%

Food For Thought V

Ill Effects Linked to Obesity

2003 2001Cardiovascular diseases 31% 24%Type II diabetes 21% 33%Unspecified harms to health 19% 17%Cancer 15% 8%Birth defects 8% --Poor memory 3% --Cataracts/blindness 2% --Kidney disease 1% 2%Arthritis/joint problems 1% 7%Infertility -- 2%Asthma -- 2%Gall bladder disease -- 4%

Food For Thought V

Obesity Solutions Mentioned

2003 2001Increase physical activity 35% 39%Eat less 34% 17%Eat nutritious meals 15% 16%Use of diet drugs 5% 5%Surgical intervention 4% 17%Breast feed infants 3% 3%Other specific diet plans 2% 2%Increase calcium intake 2% 2%

Food For Thought V

2003

December 13-19, 2003

The Rising Rate of ChildhoodObesity is Alarming

2003July 2000

The New Yorker, December 2003“Remember when we used to have to fatten the kids up first?”

Who’s Concerned About the Obesity Issue?

• Health and Science Communities • Government• Consumer Advocacy Groups• The Food and Beverage Industry• Media• Consumers

Trends in Obesity-Related Media Coverage

593

1706

38314560

0500

100015002000250030003500400045005000

Jan - Dec2000

Jan - Dec2001

Jan - Dec2002

Jan - Dec2003

Note: Figures represent International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) tracking of U.S. and International (English-speaking) wire reports and print articles on the issue and do not necessarily reflect the true number of stories.

Suggested Causes of Obesityin Media Stories

A virusLarge portion sizes

Low self-esteemDietary carbohydrates

High incomesAutomobile cultureDietary fats

Low incomesTV watchingLow calcium intake

StressComputer gamesSoft drinks

DepressionCommunity designGood-tasting food

AgingPersonal safetyInexpensive food

GeneticsNo PE in schoolsAvailability of food

Latch-key kidsParental influenceParental influence

OtherPhysical ActivityFood/Nutrition

Snacks2003

Obesity Media Coverage Subjects

• Diet• Physical Activity• Disease• Medical• Lawsuits• Legislation/Taxation• Community Prevention• Schools• Society• Junk Food

• General Information• Marketing• Portion Size• Low SES/Ethnicity• Labeling• Addiction• BMI• Body Image• Family Dynamics• Other

“The news media abhor a vacuum. When an issue moves into public consciousness, you must set an articulate, rational and pro-active agenda – or the media will do it for you.”

Who’s Concerned About the Obesity Issue?

• Health and Science Communities • Government• Consumer Advocacy Groups• The Food and Beverage Industry• Media• Consumers

For More Information, Contact:

International Food Information Council(IFIC) Foundation

1100 Connecticut Avenue, NWSuite 430Washington, DC 20036

Phone 202-296-6540E-Mail foodinfo@ific.org