Digesting What We Eat: Scott native studies trends (2/2)

By relying on consumers to write down everything they eat, some flaws are bound to creep into the data, said Heinz's Murphy. But it is still valuable because few research firms attempt to go beyond purchasing and into eating patterns, he said. New Discoveries Leading to New Business Opportunities Balzer has developed a pretty good sense of what will make news. Looking ahead, he notes NPD's data show households with children serve dessert with dinner less often than other households. Dessert-eating bumps up when the kids leave and really climbs as people grow older. Pairing that information with the reality of retiring baby boomers, Balzer asked: "You think there's going to be a story about dessert?" The relationship of health to food consumption will always be of interest, he said, even though Americans consistently have talked about eating the right stuff more than they have done it. "If we did what we say, we'd all be thin," he added. As for that question of which of the four foods -- coffee, hamburger, french fries and fried chicken -- has seen a growth in consumption over the past 20 years, the answer is, well, another head-scratcher. "Fried chicken" wins, fueled by the consumption of "chicken nuggets." "We do want fried chicken," Balzer said. "Just don't call it fried chicken." ________________________________________ Source: Article Written By Teresa F. Lindeman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Teresa Lindeman can be reached at tlindeman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2018.)