Denmark: Siltanews – News Desk
Nearly all respondents in Italy and Denmark link a healthy lifestyle to a balanced diet, with almost 70% actively committed to achieving them. In Italy, about half of the population states that they regularly follow a healthy diet, and 1 in 4 people have been doing so for more than three years. In Denmark, slightly more than half of the respondents say they consciously choose healthy food.
These are just some of the data detected by the 100 Healthy Days Observatory, presented on 25 February at Sana Food by Toluna, an agency specializing in digital market research, in collaboration with Channel Marketing Company and with the design contribution of Claudia Maccarini (Light Up Italia).
The survey examined the perceptions, habits, and trends related to lifestyle and eating of 4,000 people, of which 3,000 in Italy and 1,000 in Denmark. The study took place in two phases: the first in spring-summer and the second in autumn-winter, focusing on behavior during the 100 days preceding the observation.
In Italy, the main trends are the inclusion of seasonal fruit and vegetables, natural and/or organic food, and a high level of control when reading ingredients, with close attention to elements considered ‘harmful’ to health, such as additives, preservatives, GMOs, and fats.
In Denmark, healthy food is associated with the concept of health benefits, i.e. food that is naturally rich in nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and Omega 3, or that is only made with ‘natural’ ingredients, with emphasis also being placed on organic products.
What is curious is that, in Italy, about 49% of those interviewed associate healthy eating with the Mediterranean diet, in line with the country’s food and wine culture, while only about 17% of Danes are of the same opinion. On the other hand, about 19% of Danish respondents consider plant-based food a healthy choice, while in Italy – where it is evidently still little known – only 7% share this opinion.
A lot are satisfying with their diet and everyone feels better of he does, but the cultural diet remains always the same.
77% of Italians say they are satisfied with the healthy options available when eating out, compared to 59% of Danes. Nevertheless, 46% of Italians consider the alternatives available to be insufficient and 57% criticize the lack of detailed information, especially regarding the origin and processing of ingredients. The Danes are even more critical, with 71% of respondents dissatisfied with the information provided.