Study Finds One Out Of Three Adults Uses Social Media For Dietary Decisions

Most of us spend at least a little bit of time every day on social media. There are also many who spend the majority of their day jumping from one social media platform to another.

We use social media to keep up with the latest and to pass the time. In addition, about one out of every three adults uses social media to make diet choices, according to new research.

When it comes to dietary opinions, social media is by no means a lightweight. It doesn’t matter how often you check-in, there is going to be somebody who has something to say about what they are eating or more specifically, about what you should be eating.

Some of the different dietary choices that were made because of social media include reducing all snacking, drinking water instead of grabbing a snack, and eliminating bread from the diet.

According to a recent poll of 2000 adults, only 28% of those who make dietary choices through social media take the extra time to make sure that it is based on factual information.

Arla, a large dairy company, is behind the research done that helps us to have a better look at our own eating habits and how social media can play a part in them. The poll wasn’t only conducted to give us this information, they were interested in helping us see how farming and other aspects are involved in our diets, allowing us to make wise decisions along the way.

According to the study, 27% of adults agree that it is the right thing to cut animal products from their diet altogether. 65%, however, admit that they would rather have dairy in their diet rather than alternative dairy products.

Among those who were feeling the most pressure over conforming to what social media offered were those who were part of Gen Z. 55% of that generation seems to use social media in order to make these choices.

Surprisingly, many of those who decided that dairy was something to have in their diet were embarrassed about it. That came in the form of 49% of those who felt ashamed when ordering dairy in front of others of their own generation.

While animal welfare is likely a large reason that younger generations are concerned, you would also think that sustainability was a key element to cutting out dairy and other animal products as well. However, 41% of those polled seem to be completely confused about what makes a diet sustainable in the first place.

This was brought out nicely by one of Arla’s dairy farmers in Gloucestershire, Debbie Wilkins. She said: “Dairy farming can often be misunderstood, particularly when snap decisions get made based on what we see on social media. When this starts to play a role in our decision-making process, particularly when it comes to our health and wellbeing, it’s important we take a step back and look at the whole picture.”

Wilkins went on to talk about how much she loves her farm and the respect that she has for the environment. She made mention of the “all or nothing” attitude that is so prevalent among many groups, and the fact that it isn’t necessary to feel that way.

In summing things up, Wilkins said: “Dairy farming is not as black and white as our beloved herds and it’s worrying how dairy can be so easily misunderstood. All food production will create emissions, but it is important to consider the nutritional value of the food as well as how it supports the natural environment.”

It seems as if many who took part in the poll agreed on certain aspects of their dietary choices. Others, however, varied widely in their opinions. This included how they got the information in the first place.

One out of five of those polled said that they relied on social media to provide true information. 15% said that they choose memes as a source of information. In addition, 36% have passed along information they read as if it were their own.

When questioned directly about what makes a diet sustainable, 54% said that it meant eating locally sourced food and 41% said it meant eating plant-based alternatives instead of animal protein. Others felt that it had to do with environmental impact.

12% also said that even though they might order a dairy alternative in public, they would choose a real dairy product at home. This included about 10% that said they would feel pressure to choose an alternative when it came to including dairy in their tea or coffee.

According to the Senior Group Agriculture Director at Arla, Graham Wilkinson: “We know farming is not without its challenges and when it comes to dairy farming and the climate crisis, we have many hills to climb to reach our target of achieving carbon net-zero by 2050. That is why our farmers are taking action and working to drive real change through several initiatives to reduce emissions, for a stronger planet for years to come.”

He also said that they were constantly measuring themselves against various farmer standards to ensure that they can be trusted by their customers to provide them with the nutrition that is expected from dairy.

For those who are concerned with animal welfare, it’s best to steer clear of animal products, even those marketed as “sustainable,” but for those solely interested in environmental impact or health,
select animal products may have something to offer. Ultimately, the poll sheds an important light on the fact that many people are blindly following nutrition advice from social media without fact-checking it. As they say, not everything you see online is true!