• by Adrienne W. Fawcett , April 6, 2007

Politicians, nutritionists and gym teachers have spent a lot of time pondering the dilemma of obesity in America. Why are people so fat when awareness of nutrition and a balanced diet are so high? Or to put it another way: In a land of plenty, why are we so plentiful?

According to recent research reports, the blame falls squarely in the laps of three main culprits. One: It's our own fault because we eat too much of the wrong things. Two: It's the food industry's fault because it's constantly goading us to eat too much of the wrong things. Three: It's the government's fault for appointing big-food insiders to run the FDA--people who are more interested in fattening sales than slimming waists.

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and over half of adults are watching what they eat, reports Simmons NCS. At the same time, Americans spend billions on diet and health-food products every year, and their interest in organic food is growing faster than marijuana on a sunny, vacant lot.

A new Mintel International report finds that even though we don't eat well, we mean well. When making a food purchase decision, grocery shoppers are more likely to be influenced by weight control and disease prevention concerns. But, still, we nosh. Why?

"There are so many contradictions with the choices people make with food," says Chris Haack, analyst with Mintel. "When you go to Trader Joes, Wild Oats or Whole Foods you're starting to see junk organic frozen foods appearing. It's ironic because you think people eating organic would be watching for obesity or weight control."

Food companies do an excellent job indoctrinating kids into the snack-happy lifestyle that's causing so many weight problems. A recent Kaiser Foundation study found that kids are exposed to food ads almost every hour of the day. Most of the ads are TV commercials for candy and snacks high in fat and/or sugar.

Some states are legislating changes in school lunch programs and nutrition education, but most school cafeteria menus resemble a party for high-fat/highly sweetened foods. (Indeed, the school that this reporter's third-grader attends recently started touting organic food for lunch. On the menu: mac 'n' cheese, pizza and hot dogs.)

According to the Mintel report, the main excuses people site for not eating healthy foods include: availability, cost, confusion, time constraints and taste concerns. Also worth noting: Only a small minority of respondents agrees they're in poor health or look older because of the food they eat. Four out of 10 people say they're too busy to care for themselves, and 3 out of 10 say they don't have time to prepare or eat healthy meals.

So they dine out. About 40% of Americans east in a fast-food establishment every week--that works out to be an average of seven fast-food meals every month. And they're not just eating burgers and fries or prepared salads with ice on the iceberg lettuce. Mintel's Menu Insights, which tracks more than 500 restaurant menus in the U.S., shows that fast-food suppliers are offering new high-fat, high-cal items for breakfast while keeping menu prices low.

"Both demand for and supply of fast food is favorable for the continued prevalence of overweight/obese consumers," according to the report.

Among other findings of Mintel's current "Food Attitude" report:

• " Calorie consumption has risen almost 27% since the 1970s, mostly from added fats, sugars and flour/cereal products.
• " Convenience is key
• " Low-cal and low-fat foods are desired, but smaller portions are not
• " Most people design their own eating plan rather than follow formal guidelines

At the present moment, there isn't a "diet du jour" that's sweeping America like Atkins or South Beach did a few years back. Respondents to Mintel's study expressed strong interest in foods that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. This provides opportunities for marketers. Mintel's survey of more than 16,000 new food products found that none of the top 10 food claims mentioned these diseases.