When evaluating foods marketed as “healthy,” consumers expect traditional nutritional attributes, according to the May 2025 Consumer Food Insights Survey from the Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability. Nearly two-thirds of consumers expect healthy foods to be low in added sugar, sodium or saturated/trans fats (67%) and high in protein, fiber, vitamins, or antioxidants (66%). Processing characteristics also rank highly, with 60% associating healthy labels with minimal artificial additives and 59% with minimally processed options.

Lifestyle-focused attributes receive significantly less attention: only 34% associate healthy labels with organic production and 17% with plant-based or vegetarian/vegan attributes. These findings suggest that most consumers interpret “healthy” marketing in light of traditional nutritional science. For more information, view the complete survey on the Consumer Food Insights webpage.

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