People in Scotland view healthy eating as boring and tasteless, these are the findings or new research carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Scotland which investigated why so many Scots fail to improve their diet.
Ten focus groups were carried out in Scotland, split by age, life-stage, socio-economic group, geographical location and ethnic origin. All those who took part were at least jointly responsible for the purchasing and/or preparation of their own or their household's food.
One of the many reasons identified for not eating well was the fact that people think of ' healthy eating ' as being regimented, boring and tasteless. Consumers asked about their diet said that if they counted calories and ate fruit and vegetables it made them miserable.
According to a statement from the FSA the results will be used to find new ways of tackling Scotland's poor dietary record by breaking down the barriers which currently exist.
One of the main findings was that more positive, life-enhancing messages, rather than traditional health-scare messages, are needed to persuade people to improve their diet.
Unveiling the research findings at a conference in Dunfermline, FSA Scotland Assistant Director Lydia Wilkie said:
"This is a very important piece of work which shows that people do not respond well to the usual messages about the health benefits of eating well.
They are more likely to be attracted by a more positive approach that shows how eating better can enhance their life. We need to show them how it can make them feel better, look better, give them more energy, and generally lead to a more enjoyable life without having to follow a strict dietary regime. In short, healthy eating needs to become better eating."
The main barriers to better eating identified by the research were: the negative associations with ' healthy eating '; contradictory and confusing messages in the media and on food labels; poor availability of fresh produce in rural areas; a lack of cooking skills, particularly among younger consumers; eating healthily is perceived as being costly and time-consuming.
The Agency aims to take the research findings to the Scottish Executive and the Health Education Board for Scotland as part of a co-ordinated effort to improve the Scottish diet.
Ms Wilkie said:
"It is no secret that Scotland has been branded the sick-man of Europe - an unwanted tag which stems largely from the nation's poor diet.
We commissioned this research to find out what the barriers are between awareness and behaviour and to suggest ways we can break these down. What it has shown is that people have very negative perceptions of healthy eating and largely do not respond to messages which urge people to improve their diet for medical or health reasons."