When our Industry Nutrition Strategy Group (INSG) began last year to look at portion sizes of food and drink products, one recommendation of the working group was that consumer responses to the portion size information available on food and drink should be explored.

We have recently completed detailed consumer research, the results of which are now available in our new report ‘Portion size: Understanding the consumer perspective’.
 

Why is portion size important?

In order to eat a healthy balanced diet, it is important that the portion sizes of the food and drink we consume are appropriate to our needs. The increasing prevalence of obesity indicates that we are consuming more calories than we require, and portion sizes of foods and drinks have therefore come under scrutiny. Buying or preparing too much food may also lead to food being wasted and will increase the amount of waste we send to landfill. Portion size is therefore an important consideration for food manufacturers and retailers who need to provide nutrition and other information on labels.

I very often cook too much chicken with pasta. I find something like that is hard to gauge how much to cook. I usually throw a lot of it away.     Leeds, female, children 6-15, C2D

Knowing how much to eat is down to ‘experience’

In initial focus group discussions we found that portion size was generally not considered by respondents unless it was to ensure that there was sufficient food on the plate for a meal.

In a large survey of over one thousand adults, we asked how respondents knew how much food to eat. Forty-eight percent said that knowing how much to eat was down to experience, while 21% said they just ate what was in front of them. Interestingly, respondents did not tend to base decisions about how much to eat on the composition of the food, with only 5% thinking about the energy content and when it came to following the serving guidance on pack, only 3% claimed to do this.

I haven’t a clue how to size a meal up. I just put it on the baking tray, put it in the oven and away you go.     Leicester, male, children 6-15, BC1

Measuring out food

One way to help achieve the right portion size is to measure out the foods you are preparing to eat. We found that 60% of our survey respondents either just estimated the amount to prepare, or said that they simply didn’t measure.

Obviously it will say on the packet but I just tend to grab some and bung it all in.     Leicester, female, children 0-5, C2D

One or more measuring methods were used by 38% of respondents, including weighing scales, measuring spoons, and judging the amount against a familiar object.

	49% of respondents said they would use portion  size information on packaging

Preparing excess food can lead to over eating, or food waste. We asked people in our survey whether they might consider using any types of “portion tools” when they were preparing food to eat. The response was positive, with the majority (61%) indicating that they would consider using some of the methods suggested, the most popular being simple tablespoons and teaspoons.
 

Would markings on the side of pack help get portions right?

Our research indicated that consumers might prepare and consume the appropriate amounts of food if they had help to visualise the amount required. One way that appeared popular amongst focus group participants was the use of markings on the side of packs of pourable products such as drinks and dry foods like rice. We tested this in our survey and just under half (49%) responded positively indicating that they would use this type of portion size tool. However, 22% of all respondents said they would use this type of side of pack markings as a guide but adjust them to suit their needs.
 

Next steps

Our research has highlighted consumer attitudes towards portion size and consumers’ understanding and use of portion size information on food and drink packs. While it appears that many do not currently consider portion size, consumers are open to guidance and there is the opportunity for food businesses to help provide this. The INSG portion size working group will use the information in this report to assist in the development of voluntary guidelines for the food industry on communication to consumers about portion size. These will be published later in the autumn.

You can download your free copy of the report below:

More information:

Portion size: Understanding the consumer perspective Ideal for those working in nutrition, product design or marketing, this free research will help you understand consumer attitudes to portion size information on products.