Conducted by the Fruit Juice Science Centre, the survey of 8,000 European respondents found that more than half of Gen Z consumers are unsure what health guidance to trust due to conflicting information online, and that 32% prefer social media for healthcare advice, with this number rising to 35% when seeking dietary or allergenic information.
The abundance of contradictory and polarising content online has led to just 31% of Brits opting to consult official healthcare websites such as the NHS for advice.
The survey also found that as many as one in four respondents no longer trusts guidance given out by nutritionists and dieticians, shining a clear spotlight on the disinformation risks facing the industry.
Are food producers out of touch?
Social media has irrevocably changed how we behave as a society over the last 20 years – for better, or for worse – and businesses have, for the most part, adapted extremely well to rapidly changing consumer habits since the advent of Facebook in 2004.
But the quickfire, reel-centred video sharing format pioneered by TikTok is an altogether different beast and has forced many companies to pivot once again.
A big favourite among Gen Zs (28 and under), the platform has become so embedded in many young people’s lives that a considerable number have now taken to using it as a search engine, preferring it to Google for health and nutritional advice.
This is reflected in the widespread disinformation seen around 100% fruit juice, with nearly two in five adults (38%) erroneously believing that it contains added sugars or sweeteners, leading to blood sugar spikes, despite these additives being forbidden by law.
The freeform nature of the information available on the likes of TikTok and Instagram has led to large amounts of disinformation being spread – particularly around health, dieting and nutrition, with the big players within the food industry in danger of falling seriously behind the curve.
“TikTok has been a big platform for over five years now, and it’s surprising how slow many businesses have been to adopt it and use it effectively to promote their businesses,” food industry influencer Gavin Wren points out.
Highlighting the urgent need for food manufacturers to get to grips with the TikTok generation, which is growing in purchasing power every year, consultant Mark Field adds: “At a macro level consumers have access to more data and sources of information than they have ever.
“It’s critical to understand the change and as a food business have a strategy to ensure your target audience is well informed and engaged, the Gen Z data suggests a significant shift from traditional media and should reassure food manufacturers that channels such as TikTok are an important part of their marketing strategy.”
How to fight the tide of disinformation
There’s no denying that the widespread, and at times, uncontrollable flow of information across social media has proven tricky to regulate to say the least.
Both governments and the platforms themselves have struggled to implement concrete countermeasures to fight the virulent disinformation that can now be seen on a daily basis across social channels.
Affecting all facets of life, from the highest echelons of geo-politics to the most mundane minutes of a local council meeting, the food industry has not been spared the barrage.
And when it comes to food and nutrition, something which can very tangibly affect an individual’s health – getting the right information to the right people is absolutely essential.
After all, let us not forget the countless lives lost to such simple things as incorrect allergen labelling or poor ingredient control.
But what can the food industry do to fight this crimson tide? Social media has changed so much in just the last five years that it might seem impossible for businesses to stay agile in the online world.
For expert nutritionist and MD of Nutrition Communications Dr Carrie Ruxton, it’s all about how brands get their messages across: “There’s no point in food manufacturers trying to outcompete social media influencers whose views tend to be binary, extreme and ill-informed by science. Instead, they need to find compelling ways to communicate what their brands stand for and what benefits they deliver in terms of taste, convenience, price and nutrition.
“One exception is where there has been disinformation about brands – for example the ‘dangers’ of ultra-processed foods which are overexaggerated by certain media personalities. In this case, companies need to robustly defend their products and use every means possible, including social media.”
Echoing Ruxton’s thoughts, and speaking from within the social media industry itself, Wren continues: “Dis/misinformation is a massive problem on social media because the barrier to entry for making video content is very low; all it takes is a smartphone and an internet connection and anyone can start shouting about health in a supermarket. As a result, there are too many people sharing what they believe is ‘common sense’, which doesn’t align with the science.”
Where does the buck stop?
Something clearly has to be done. But what? And by whom? These are multi-faceted questions that can’t be easily solved.
One would imagine that the Government might bear the ultimate responsibility, and should perhaps take more notice of the problem and squeeze the social media platforms to take more action.
After all, these are private businesses run for profit. And as sad as it may seem, controversial, and at times downright incorrect information, drives interactions and clicks much more than sensible, fact-checked material.
Is the food industry itself doing enough – or is it simply too inflexible to adapt to the rapidly changing online landscape?
“I think we can look at this in two ways; from the positive side what is best practice and how is best practice made available for industry?” Field questions.
“An agreed standard would benefit the industry regardless of business size and could be an important tool that protects both them and consumers. The second is the control around misinformation and working with the platforms to develop a process or messaging to users reinforcing the importance of verifying critical social media content.”
Going one step further than Field, Wren believes that the social media platforms need to be held much more accountable for the content they allow to be published.
“There really is a need for more culpability from social media platforms to acknowledge the harms that poor dietary advice can cause, both physically in the case of malnourishment and psychologically in terms of disordered eating behaviours,” he said.
“Active moderation and fact-checking would be a good start, it did briefly appear on Instagram, and it would be great to see this extended across all platforms.
“The Government might be too heavy-handed for this, as the healthier side of this situation is healthy debate around food, which we need to encourage.”
Therein lies the crux of the issue. Societal habits around food are changing rapidly, especially among the under-30s, and the industry, government and social media need to all come together to fight disinformation wildfires.
Not only would it be good for business – it would unquestionably protect the health and wellbeing of ordinary people, which must always be paramount.
