Consumer understanding of food portion sizes

• Project start date: 1 October 2010
• Project status: Completed
• Project type: Nutrition
• Discipline: Food skills
• Author/s: Prof Barbara Livingstone, University of Ulster, Coleraine
• Collaborator/s: Single supplier

Research objective

• To review the literature and other relevant sources of information to determine patterns and trends in food portion sizes on the island of Ireland
• To review national and international serving size guidance
• To investigate adults’ understanding and behaviour in relation to portion size, specifically
  • Their knowledge and attitudes
  • How such behaviours are influenced when exposed to foods perceived as “healthier”
• To develop and evaluate a range of consumer strategies for estimating food portion size

Research report

• Title: Consumer understanding of food portion sizes
• Publication date: 5 November 2014
• Summary: A report into adults’ knowledge, attitudes and reported behaviour around food portion sizes on the island of Ireland.
• Findings:

  The findings from this project give a greater insight into the barriers faced by consumers in relation to appropriate food portion size control, and also provide opportunities to empower consumers in this complex area of eating behaviour.

  • There was inconsistent evidence found with regard to portion size trends on the island of Ireland, but certain high energy-dense foods, such as bakery and takeaway items, have shown clear upward trends over the last 10 years.
  • Consumers do not habitually consider portion size.
  • Several barriers to portion size control were identified: a lack of self-control, social pressures, habits ingrained since childhood and emotional eating rewards.
  • There is evidence to show that consumers may underestimate the energy content of foods with apparently “healthy” labels, e.g. reduced fat, and as a consequence exceed recommended portion size. Consumers need to be supported and given clearer information on appropriate portion size selection behaviours for foods bearing nutrition claims, such as ‘reduced fat’.
  • For those who used portion control strategies, satiety-related controls, such as filling up on water, filling up with vegetables, eating slowly and eating until satisfied (but not full) were the most popular.
  • Women and those who previously attempted weight loss were most open to trying different portion size control strategies.
  • Future initiatives in this area should emphasise the overall quality of the diet, focussing on health benefits rather than weight loss and being aware of differences between gender and lifestyle.
• Recommendations:
  1. Health professionals and those aiming to increase awareness of portion size should focus on the home eating context initially as this is where most food is eaten and prepared, and where adults are more likely to implement change
  2. Household measuring aids, e.g. cups and spoons, should be promoted to consumers as effective aids for the estimation of appropriate portion size
  3. Portion size control strategies should be used to empower consumers to overcome identified barriers to portion size control
  4. Strategies should be tested and targeted at specific consumer groups to achieve maximum acceptance and relevance
  5. Information to consumers on portion size should be:
     • Provided from independent sources
     • Consistent across the board (i.e. on food labels, in advertising and through health messages)
     • Communicated innovatively and through modern technology (e.g. smartphone apps)
     • Realistic
     • Initiated when they are at school

Other outputs

LE McGuffin, JMW Wallace, TA McCaffrey, RK Price and MBE Livingstone. Family eating out-of-home: a review of nutrition and health policies. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2013) 72, 126-139

LE McGuffin, RK Price, L McAdam, M Parker, TA McCaffrey, JMW Wallace and MBE Livingstone How healthy are children’s menus on the island of Ireland? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2013) 72 (OCE3), E171 –

RK Price, LE McGuffin, JMW Wallace, TA McCaffrey, and MBE Livingstone. Family out-of-home eating in times of economic stress; an exploration of parental behaviour and attitudes. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2012) 71 (OCE2), E80 

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