Future of Food · Issue 10 · March 2026
Trust in food
Would you like some facts with that?
Nutrition advice is now the biggest category of misinformation online. That is a problem for shoppers and an opportunity for honest producers.
Fad diets, food gurus and shifting official advice have left people confused about what to eat and who to believe. Brands add to the noise with vague claims on the pack, and even the research system is under strain. When the US turned its food pyramid upside down, plenty of people were left wondering what had changed.
My argument is that this is a moment for New Zealand to lean on what we are already trusted for. The growing interest in real food plays to our strengths, but only if we back it with credible, evidence-based claims about nutrition and how food is grown. Chasing fads or overclaiming would put at risk the very reputation for safety and integrity we trade on. Real food needs real science, and real investment in it.
What the issue covers
- Trust in food information is at an all-time low, and consumers report confusion, frustration and doubt.
- Disagreement between experts, changing guidelines and industry-funded research all make the picture murkier.
- Greenwashing and overclaiming expose producers to market and regulatory risk.
- New Zealand can stand out by making fewer, better claims that it can actually prove.
A question to take to your next board or leadership meeting
Which claim on your packaging would you be comfortable defending, line by line, to a sceptical scientist?
Work through it with me- Written by
- Vincent Heeringa and Dr Victoria Hatton
- With contributions from
- Dr Carolyn Lister, Food & Health Information
- Nicola O'Rourke, Founders Advisory
- Louise Beard, FORWARD insights
- Hamish Renton, HRA Global
The Future of Food series was originally published by FoodHQ Innovation Limited between 2024 and 2026, while I was Chief Executive. Each issue is reproduced here in full, with thanks to my co-authors, the contributors and FoodHQ's partners.