Americans want U.S. help on food shopping

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., March 10 (UPI) -- Eighty-six percent of U.S. adults favor government implementation of front-of-pack labeling of calories, nutrients and fiber, a survey indicates.

The survey by FoodMinds, a food and nutrition company, says 64 percent say if their favorite food had a warning label on it, they would either eat less or stop buying the product.

"In light of all the recent attention around food labeling and nutrition guidance programs, we wanted to get a sense of what the consumer actually thought," Grant Prentice, FoodMinds' director of strategic insights, says in a statement. "We heard clearly they believe things need to change -- and that it makes sense for the government to lead that charge."

The survey also finds:

-- 74 percent favor government-sponsored nutrition education programs to help them better identify the "good" vs. the "bad" foods.

-- 58 percent support the government banning advertising of "unhealthy" foods to children and young adults.

-- Half favor the government allowing employers to reward healthier employees while levying higher costs or fines to punish those who engage in unhealthy behaviors.

-- 65 percent of shoppers reject proposed taxes on soft drinks and foods high in sugar and calories.

The survey of 1,045 U.S. adults was conducted by Greenfield Online's Omnibus service Jan. 18. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.