Americans have more nutrition information at their fingertips than ever, yet new research from the International Food Information Council finds many don’t know what, or whom, to believe as their assessments of their health decline – creating an opportunity for CPG companies to rebuild trust with credible facts, practical guidance and scientific evidence.
Nearly eight in 10 Americans strongly or somewhat agree that nutrition information seems to keep changing – making it hard for them to know what to believe, according to the most recent installment of IFIC’s annual Food & Health Survey of 3,005 Americans. The survey, conducted in late March and published Oct. 7, also found the share is up from 71% in 2022.
While IFIC does not attribute the change to any specific factor, the finding comes amid a broader period of change in the nutrition landscape, including the release of new Dietary Guidelines in January.
The new Dietary Guidelines flipped the long-established food pyramid upside down – replacing the iconic MyPlate that was previously used to convey basic nutrition information. The new graphic accompanied recommendations that many health professionals criticized as self-contradictory and as running opposite of long-held dietary norms, such as limit saturated fat and eat mostly plants.
In the past year, trust in government agencies fell 4% with only 13% of survey respondents reporting they trust USDA, FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Environmental Protection Agency compared to 14% who said they did not trust the agencies “at all.”
Trust in wellness counselors and health coaches also fell alongside a drop in personal healthcare professionals and registered dietitian nutritionists – although all three maintain the highest net scores of all the information sources in the survey.
Notably, trust in some of the least-trusted sources moved in the opposite direction. Trust in food companies and manufacturers rose 4 percentage points from last year, although their net trust score remained negative at -19.
That movement could give CPG companies an opening to rebuild consumer confidence – if they can meet consumers’ needs for credible, useful information.
The survey also offers a potential roadmap for how companies could close that confidence gap.
When offered a choice about what would given them the most confidence in their food choices, nearly four in 10 survey respondents said facts about food safety and nutrition would make them most confident in their food choices.
About three in 10 said the same about practical actions and 28% cited evidence from scientific research. Only 5% said none of the choices would bolster their confidence.
Self-reported health hits ‘all-time low,’ according to IFIC
The erosion of confidence in nutrition information comes as Americans’ assessments of their own health are also declining. The survey does not establish a causal link between the two, but the parallel trends are notable.
“In 2026, 40% described their health as excellent (11%) or very good (29%) compared with 49% who described their health as excellent or very good in 2025,” according to IFIC. It adds that this “continues a declining 15-year trend as evidenced by a 15-point drop from 2022 (55%), 18-point drop from 2017 (59%) and 20-point drop from 2012 (60%).”
Americans also rated their diets as less healthy in 2026 than in previous years, notes IFIC.
This year, respondents rated their diets on average 56.4 on a scale of 100 compared to 63.3 in 2025 and 59 in 2020, according to IFIC.
Dieting ticks up
The drop in self-assessment is not for lack of trying.
According to IFIC, now nearly two-thirds of Americans follow a specific diet – continuing an upward trend that began in 2018, when 36% reported they followed a dietary pattern.
High-protein remained the most common dietary approach for the fourth consecutive year – capturing 27% of respondents – a trend reflected in many recent launches fortifying unexpected products, such as chips and water, with the macronutrient.
Other popular diets include low-sugar or sugar-free and clean-eating, both of which lend themselves well to marketing and health claims on product packaging and are reflected in many reformulation efforts by CPG manufacturers.
Mindful eating, calorie-counting and intermittent fasting are also among the most common diets Americans report following.
While Americans report dieting for myriad reasons, the top health benefit they seek from nutrition is now healthy aging, which usurped energy’s four-year reign in the top position, according to IFIC.
Other benefits on the rise include weight loss or management (up 7 percentage points), digestive or gut health (up 6 percentage points), muscle health or strength and endurance (up 6 percentage points), brain function (up 5 percentage points) and improved sleep (up 4 percentage points), according to the survey.
IFIC was quick to point out that the priorities differ by generation, with Baby Boomers prioritizing healthy aging, Gen X favoring weight loss or maintenance and Millennials seeking energy.
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What influences consumers’ health goals?
In their search for better health, consumers are turning to multiple sources for information – including social media and AI, despite both ranking well below healthcare professionals and scientific research on trust.
According to IFIC, 52% of Americans report encountering food and nutrition content on social media and of those, 64% trust it at least a little.
Likewise, 29% of survey respondents use AI weekly for food decisions – 71% of whom said AI has at least a moderate influence on their final actions, according to IFIC.
For CPG companies, the fragmentation of where consumers gather information suggests they likely don’t need another voice – but rather a more credible or useful one, especially given their stated preference for more facts, practical guidance and scientific evidence.
