What’s changed and what hasn’t in our food habits
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked: The Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announced a new, inverted food pyramid placing a lot more emphasis on meat and dairy, and less emphasis on whole grains.
What we found: We decided to trend a question about eating habits, but add a new option about protein. Broadly, what we eat hasn’t changed much since 2023 when we first asked this. About half try to prioritize organics. Slightly fewer prioritize non-GMO. And despite all of the discussion around processed foods in the Make America Healthy Again campaign, the number of people who say they try to limit the amount of processed foods they eat hasn’t moved much in the last two years, staying stable at 64%.
But to get to the meat of the new pyramid, we added a question about prioritizing protein to this wave and found a majority (57%) place an emphasis on this nutritional benefit. Food companies, of course, have already been reacting to this — adding protein to all kinds of food and beverages. Already in 2026, Beyond Meat is launching a new protein drink, and Dunkin’ is adding protein milk to its menu.
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
What’s going on with young American men and how that impacts the rest of America, in five charts
People are not fans of dynamic pricing
We’re mostly exhausted, but women really are
One big way this holiday shopping season was different
What do we think 2026 will look like?
The Ipsos Vibe Check: Here's how Americans feel about the government this week
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?
