In a rare moment of agreement, 97% of Belgians of all ages and regions agree that the government should ensure access to healthy food because this is a basic human right. Firstly, the government and employers should ensure everyone in Belgium can access healthy food.
Key takeaways:
- 97% of Belgians - regardless of age, gender, or education - believe that access to healthy food is and should be a basic human right;
- 86% of Belgians of all ages and educational backgrounds believe the government is responsible for providing access to healthy food;
- 52% of Belgians find employers responsible for giving employees healthy food, whereas 36% believe this is not the employers' responsibility.
- 70% of Belgians from all age groups agree that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food;
- The stereotype of the unhealthy blue-collar worker is still alive: 82% of Belgians believe profession affects food choices.
A survey of over 1153 respondents across Flanders and Wallonia found that 97% of Belgians strongly agree that healthy eating should be a basic human right for a developed country like Belgium. 86% of Belgians believe that the government should be responsible for providing access to healthy food for everyone in Belgium. 52% of the respondents agreed that employers should reward their employees with access to healthy food, while 12% have no opinion on it, and less than 36% disagreed.
The survey also pointed out that the perception of healthy food as more expensive than its unhealthy alternatives has yet to shift, with over 70% of Belgians claiming unhealthy food is usually the cheapest option in supermarkets. Following this topic, a majority (82%) of Belgians believed that profession is a defining factor in an individual's diet, suggesting that the stereotype of the unhealthy blue-collar worker is still around. However, respondents over 26 were slightly more likely to make that claim than their younger counterparts.
Questions surrounding the effects of lockdown on the Belgian individual's diet also yielded some surprising results. Belgians stood at both extremes when asked whether the lockdown affected their food habits, claiming it had not changed their habits or affected them significantly. When asked whether they had regained their old food habits after lockdown ended, only 1 in 4 respondents agreed.
Marc Ferlet, who leads Marketing and Communications at Unbox, explains: "It confirms our belief that there is a huge demand, a real need for affordable access to healthy food across all Belgian demographics both in perception and reality."
“I'm also happy to see that people think that governments have a large role to play in that. It encourages us, at Unbox, to continue our efforts in making healthy food more accessible and affordable. Not only will this increase individual well-being, it will also lower the country’s medical bills. And we finally found something that all Belgians agree on! ” Ruben Verhelst, Co-Founder and COO".
The field and online surveys took place from July 4th to July 15th. Software company Unbox's' research arm led the survey in hopes of discovering more about Belgians' opinions on access to healthy food. Last year, Unbox launched a program with Delhaize to reward customers who filled their carts with NutriScores A&B products. More information on that can be found on Healthy UCoins.