Catelli survey confirms Canadians' desire for healthy foods

A recent national survey carried out by Catelli Foods indicates Canadians are quite the health conscious bunch.

Sandra Kim, marketing director of the pasta manufacturer, says she's glad the findings suggest a growing number of Canadians are eating foods made with wholesome ingredients – like Catelli's relaunched Healthy Harvest brand, which is made with 100% whole grain wheat.

"We do these kinds of surveys all the time in order to understand new trends and to help us better market our products," Kim told Canadian Grocer.  "But this one provides insights that we thought consumers would find interesting, and part of our (goal) is to engage consumers."

Conducted by Montreal's Bam Strategy, the survey found that 95% of nearly 16,000 respondents said they were making healthier food choices now than they did five years ago.

"Some of the results are intuitive," said Kim.  "But I think what's most interesting is that they show that most people report making healthy food choices."

That's one reason, she added, that Catelli, decided to tie the relaunch of Healthy Harvest – the company's line of whole wheat pasta – with the survey results announcement. Catelli was founded by an Italian immigrant in Montreal in 1867, but is now owned by multinational food and milling giant Ebro Foods.

According to a Catelli press release, more than half of respondents – or 54% – reported feeling "more vibrant and happier when eating healthy, natural foods."

Other notable findings were that 94% of participants said they prefer buying one- or two-ingredient foods over processed foods, while 90% said they would choose whole grain over products made with refined grain wheat (white flour).

Eighty-five percent said they read food product nutrition labels before buying to ensure they are healthy. And three quarters of respondents said they prefer to buy Canadian or locally-produced foods.

Prodigious Toronto cookbook author and corporate catering entrepreneur Rose Reisman thinks Catelli is on the right track.

"I think people want to eat healthier but they don't know how to," said Reisman, who has penned 18 cookbooks and caters to some 400 corporate clients in the GTA.  "There are so many misleading labels out there."

To cut through the clutter, Reisman recommends five foods for their vitality-boosting properties:  edamame beans, berries (fresh or dried), orange, red and dark green vegetables, Greek yogurt, and 100 percent whole grains.

"(Catelli's Healthy Harvest) is made with 100% whole grain and is a good and pure food product," she said.  "Like other whole grain products, it helps to keep things simple."