Goodbye carefree years! Safety in nutrition most important

A fundamental lack of interest in nutrition issues can be observed among the youngest voters surveyed. These are the findings of gfs.bern's representative Monitor Nutrition and Physical Activity 2022. Until the end of the 2010s, diet and exercise often went hand in hand with self-fulfilment and self-expression. This may have been a sign of prosperity. Now the carefree years seem to be over in this respect. The focus is shifting back to basic needs. With the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, considerations of security and costs are coming to the fore. Emergency supplies are gaining new importance. 54% of voters in Switzerland say they have one. Older generations in particular are using them to prepare for emergencies.

The older the generation, the greater the need for security

78% of voters want Switzerland to be independent of food imports. 70 percent are prepared to bear additional costs for products manufactured in Switzerland. What is missing is a cross-generational consensus. The older the generation, the greater the need for security, the lower the price sensitivity and the greater the awareness of the connection between sustainability and nutrition. Older generations also have a clear idea of how they want to deal with the increasing uncertainties. Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2009) lacks a clear strategy here. They find emergency stocks unnecessary and no longer want to pay for locally produced goods. At the same time, however, they want independence from abroad. War and the pandemic have given the issue of emergency stocks a new significance. Around half of voters in Switzerland say they have an emergency stockpile. However, it is older generations in particular who are prepared for emergencies. For those who have only recently stocked up on emergency supplies, the coronavirus pandemic was the bigger driver than the war in Ukraine. The majority of the population wants Switzerland to be independent when it comes to food security and is generally prepared to pay certain additional costs for this.

Generation Z has low awareness of nutrition issues

More than three quarters of voters are interested in nutrition and exercise. While 77 percent of women feel well informed about nutrition, the figure for men is 61 percent. However, interest and informedness in nutrition and exercise are declining. The trend is clearly toward less broad-based nutrition skills. For example, the proportion of those who eat vegetables, salad or fruit several times a day is decreasing significantly. In 2022, 32 percent of respondents reported eating three or more servings of vegetables, salad or fruit per day. In 2014, this figure was still 60 percent.

Only four percent of voters regularly travel abroad to shop

Although there is a strong preference for independence and security of supply, around 10 billion francs are purchased abroad every year. This is more money than the Swiss Confederation spends on national defense or agriculture. Such comparisons apparently fail to impress. Apparently, there is no direct connection or urgency.