New Food Safety Leader for IFIC
Marianne Smith Edge has been named senior vice president of Nutrition and Food Safety at the International Food Information Council and the International Food Information Council Foundation, which recently released its 2010 Food & Health Survey.
Marianne Smith Edge has been named senior vice president of Nutrition and Food Safety at the International Food Information Council and the International Food Information Council Foundation in Washington, D.C. The foundation last month released its 2010 Food & Health Survey, which showed American consumers are not very savvy about their food choices.
"Even at the highest levels of government, from the White House's Let's Move campaign to the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, there's significant focus on an overweight and obese population with an emphasis on reducing the amount of calories in the diet and increasing physical activity. But first people need to understand the role that calories play," said Edge, whose appointment was announced July 29.
The data were collected via an online survey of 1,024 adults in April and May 2010. According to IFIC, the survey found that while 70 percent of Americans say they are concerned about their weight status, most (58 percent) don't try to balance the calories they consume with the calories burned. Only 12 percent can accurately estimate the number of calories they should consume daily for their age, height, weight, and physical activity.
Even among those who said they're trying to lose or maintain weight, only 19 percent said they keep track of calories. The foundation said a large majority of Americans (77 percent) aren't meeting U.S. Department of Health and Human Services physical activity guidelines.