NEW YORK — Consumer attitudes about natural and organic products, as well as the environment, are decidedly mixed, according to Parade Magazine’s 2007 What America Eats Survey, which is being released today. Only 8% of respondents said it was “very important” for a product to be organic, vs. 34% who said it was “not important at all.” All-natural products carried a little more weight with respondents, 15% of whom said it was very important for a product to be all-natural, vs. 15% who said it was not at all important. Similarly, recyclable packaging and having an “environmentally friendly” label were each considered very important by 12% of respondents and not at all important by 16%. Convenience foods are more important than ever to grocery shoppers, the survey found, but only 1% of shoppers said they are serving supermarket-prepared meals for their family dinners. The vast majority of respondents to the survey, 87%, said that when they do have family dinners, those dinners are home-cooked, vs. only 5% that opt for restaurant takeout for at-home family dining. The poll, which was partly sponsored by Sara Lee Food & Beverage, was conducted in July among 2,001 adults.

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