"Need another reason to monitor your intake of ultra-​processed foods? Cutting down on your amounts could help you live longer, reports Harvard Health Publishing."

"In an observational study published online Feb. 11, 2019, by JAMA Internal Medicine, almost 45,000 adults ages 45 and older completed several dietary assessments over a two-​year period. On average, ultra-​processed foods made up about 15% of their daily diet as measured in grams."

"Ultra-​processed food was defined as ready-​to-​eat and microwaveable foods, such as bread, breakfast cereals, instant noodles, chicken or fish nuggets, chocolate bars and candies, chips, and artificially sweetened beverages."

"After nine years, the researchers found a direct statistical connection between higher intake of ultra-​processed food and a higher risk of early death from all causes, especially cancers and cardiovascular disease."

"Several factors might explain the connection, according to the researchers. Ultra-​processed foods often have fewer nutrients than unprocessed foods, and they contain higher amounts of sugar, salt, saturated fat, and food additives, all of which are associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases."

It's the goal of 61.2% of Healthy/​Organic Shoppers to eat healthier in the coming year and 66.9% are willing to pay more for higher quality products to do so, according to AudienceSCAN. About 41% of these consumers would like to try new cooking recipes that many of them will probably find online. Last month, 64.2% of these consumers used a search engine to conduct research on products they were considering. Most (90.4%) prefer to use Google to conduct their searches. However, they're 19% less likely than other adults to venture past the first page of search results.

"Besides cutting back on processed foods, the researchers suggested people read food labels when shopping and choose products with a shorter list of ingredients and few or no additives."

How can food retailers promote the benefits of their healthy food options? According to AudienceSCAN, last year, 54.2% of Healthy/​Organic Shoppers took action after receiving an email ad and 49.2% were driven to action by ads they saw on daily deals sites such as Groupon. They're also 17% more likely than other shoppers to be motivated by ads they see in both print and digital magazines and 64% more likely to find advertising on their mobile apps useful. Additionally, 66.2% reacted to TV commercials and 60.8% were driven to action by direct mail ads last year.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.