Table 4 Summary of main discussion areas arising from in-depth focus groups with illustrative examples of comments made during the discussions

1. Health as a consideration when making food choices

• Healthy means low calorie/fat

A3: “I do so more when I’m on a diet, so I notice things like calories and fat.”

• Lack of interest

D1: “I don’t care about my health, I’m young and want to try new things. I can worry about that in the future.”

A3: “I want something that I really like, I don’t care even if the calories are there or if it’s balanced or not.”

C5: “You see I never think about that, and I’ve got high blood pressure as well. I just shove salt on everything, I absolutely love salt.”

• Weight management

B3: “…and the other reason is not to get fat. I don’t want to get fat, so I try to eat healthily for that reason.”

• Managing an existing condition

A5: “I think it’s very hard for people to stick to a diet unless they have disease or some problem. Only those people can stick to a certain type of food or healthy food. For normal people I think it is very hard.”

• Depends on circumstances

A4: “I don’t go out for meals very often but when I do, I’m just going to eat whatever I fancy from the menu…”

D2: “Me, a lot, although I go through phases, like in the last few weeks I’ve not really done it”

• Financial considerations

A4: “I’m trying to save my pennies so I wouldn’t chose carrots with the organic label.”

• Impact of culture

B3: “When I was growing up we didn’t have much choice, we just had to eat whatever was put on the table.”

C2: “The problem is we socialise so much now.”

• Control

B3: “I don’t eat things like sweets or cakes, I don’t want to get used to them cause they’re tasty and they’re not healthy.”

C2: “A lot of it’s to do with food, it just seems like every day is a fight.

• Use of supplements

C1: “I don’t look at the vitamin or mineral content of food, but I would take a supplement, I just think it’s your insurance policy – you just take one and you know you’ve got it covered.”

2. Influence of branding products as ‘healthy options’ on food choices

Confusion with diet products

A1: “I think that sometimes food packages say low calories and people equate that with healthy eating.”

C5: “So if I wanted to buy something like that, I would be thinking that was a kind of low fat option.”

• ‘Healthy’ options are tasteless

A2: “No I don’t, I’ve tried low calorie, and low fat and I’ve just found them tasteless. I’d rather have a decent meal that fills me up.”

• ’Healthy’ options are no healthier

C1: “The ‘good’ ones are no better than the other ones they sell. When they test them, they find they’re not all that.”

C4: “Yes I would go for the healthier option, if it really was healthier.”

Views on government policies designed to promote health via the diet and foods (information leaflets, dietary guidelines and reformulation)

• Awareness

A2: “I’ve never seen it no. It's not something, even if I had noticed it, I might have glanced at it maybe, but I wouldn't pay any attention to it. It’s just not of interest.”

D3: “Maybe I’m not as curious as I should be about finding out about what a balanced diet is.”

• Usefulness

A3: “Even if you explained it to me I’d be like, oh that’s very nice, but I wouldn't do anything about it.”

C2: “How would you work out a third, is it by weight?”

D2: “I’m browsing through it and there’s too much text, I think it needs more graphics.”

• Nutritional labelling

B4: “Nope, I don’t look at them.”

C1: “Occasionally I will look, to make sure it’s not too fattening.”

• Reformulation

D2: “I think free choice is a good argument but at the same time people aren’t actually that strong, or they want their small pleasures and don’t care what happens to them.”

C2: “Then we’d eat two biscuits instead of one cause there’s less calories!”

A1: “It would depend on price, if I walked into the supermarket and it was the most expensive thing I wouldn’t get it.”

3. Views on the terminology used to communicate concepts linking health, food and the diet

• Perceived differences

B4: “They all mean the same thing, if you’re having a balanced diet then you’re eating healthily and you’re eating for your health and it’s all nutrients isn't it?”

C5: “All the same, it’s much of a muchness isn't it?”

• Eating for health

A1: “No I actually think they are different. Eating for health would give you the idea that you had some kind of condition and you’d researched what you should eat for that condition.”

D2: I don't know, that one sounds kind of weird to me.”

D3: “… that one has a negative feel to me, it just feels like too much hard work.”

• Healthy eating

A4: “I don’t know, healthy eating is more passive somehow.”

D1: “Healthy eating is also like a general thing, it’s just about what you’re eating.”

• Balanced diet

B1: “This one is good for me, if I want to lose weight.”

A3: “Balanced diet means that I do eat nutritionally balanced food but the portions are smaller.”

• Nutritional balance

C3: “For me that is more for like sport, who need nutritional balance to make sure they obtain optimum performance.”

D2: “…you’d aim it at the market that’s interested is sport and going to the gym.”

• Suggestions for other terminology

No other suggestions made