The food and beverage industry's generally positive image among the American public is under threat. According to the latest edition of I-Rep, Ipsos' biannual survey on perceptions of leading industries and large companies among American adults, goodwill towards the sector has declined in recent months.

Annabel Evans, Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs and author of the I-Rep study suggests that the increasing disaffection toward the food and beverage industry may result from extensive media coverage on issues related to health and nutrition. Indeed, many Americans mention trans-fats, obesity and poor nutritional value when asked about what they have recently seen, heard or read about various leading food and beverage companies. Recent headlines warning of contaminated pet food as well as the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) announcement in April that it is planning to investigate the sector's marketing activities targeted toward children and adolescents might also raise concerns.

In a separate 2006 Ipsos study entitled "Food, Wellness and Weight", obesity, especially among adults, was found to be regarded as a major problem by the majority (81%) of Americans with most (80%) taking active steps to lose weight or avoid gaining it in the first place. Around three-quarters (74%) of Americans said that they had changed their eating habits in someway during the preceding six months with the biggest trends being an increase in the consumption of water, vegetables and fruit. More Americans are also incorporating meatless or vegetarian meals into their diets.

Nearly a third (31%) say that they are influenced by nutritional information when they are buying a food or beverage product with a quarter (27%) wanting to know a lot more about nutrition and a healthy diet. In a May 2006 AP/Ipsos poll, a strong majority (79%) of Americans reported they frequently or occasionally check nutrition labels on food packaging, with fat (26%) and calories (25%) being the main items they look for. But even then, nearly half (44%) report they still often purchase items that are bad for them even after reading the nutrition labels.