Video goggles reveal shoppers’ secret desires

FOOD experts persuaded a group of shoppers to wear glasses fitted with video cameras so scientists could analyse what consumers looked at when they went to the supermarket.

Bord Bia commissioned the experiment to help Irish food companies make their products healthier by understanding what consumers looked for when they did their weekly shopping.

The food board brought together 20 consumers for a two-part study to look at the kinds of food people say they purchase — and then study the kinds of foods they actually buy and eat.

The amazing experiment saw them quizzed on their eating habits while video cameras were installed in their homes so scientists could analyse their behaviour — or see if consumers put their money where their mouth is.

Cameras were placed in kitchens so experts could look at the kinds of food families were preparing and eating while consumers also had to compile daily video diaries about their diet and keep till receipts.

The week-long experiment also saw consumers fitted out with “video goggles” — spectacles with tiny video cameras on the bridge of the nose to record what they saw as they shopped.

Bord Bia analyst Helen King said: “We wanted to see what they saw as they looked at information labels, at health food and at junk food, what they bought and where in the shop they went to. We found they didn’t look at labels for a long time but they did look at price promotions and to see what they could buy cheaper.”

Though the researchers found consumers knew which foods were healthy and what they should be eating more of, the experts found widespread examples of “debit and credit” behaviour when it came to food. For instance, consumers who ate a ready-meal would drink water with their food, feeling the unhealthiness of the food was balanced out by the water’s lack of calories.

Researchers also found that consumers generally ate a healthy breakfast but later in the day commonly rewarded themselves with “indulgence products” like chocolate, potentially undoing their good start.

Comparing similar research in Britain, the US, France, Holland and Sweden, Bord Bia found that Irish consumers were the most likely to choose food for health reasons, for example carrots for eyesight.

Asked what they were trying to eat more of, Irish consumers said fish, low-fat foods, fibre, wholegrains such as cereals and fresh produce such as fruit and vegetables.

Bord Bia found consumers were also aware of the kind of food they should eat to reduce their risk of disease with fish topping the list followed by broccoli, yoghurt with live cultures, high-fibre foods and dairy produce like milk.

Yesterday, the findings were presented at a Bord Bia conference in Dublin, so delegates from the food industry could better understand consumers’ needs. Food for thought

What we say we are trying to eat more of:

1. Fish.

2. Reduced fat dishes and lower-calorie foods

3. Fibre and wholegrain such as cereals.

4. Fresh produce such as fruit and vegetables.

What we are actually eating:

1. A healthy breakfast followed by chocolate later in the day.

2. A ready-made meal offset with calorie-free water.

3. Health foods mixed with ready-made sauces,

4. High-fat profiteroles for dessert.