More women than men eat for pleasure, energy and to balance health and taste considerations, according to new research, while more respondents overall say that brand reputation is a priority.

According to new insights from Pearl Strategy and Innovation Design’s health and wellness study of 1,015 Canadians (excluding Nunavut, Yukon and NWT), which addresses some areas of interest for marketers working on selling food products, more women agreed with a number of statements more than men including I eat for energy (68% vs 65%), balance taste and health (63% vs 58%) and I eat for pleasure (68% vs 58%).

More Canadians say “healthy foods do not taste good” (27% vs. 17% in 2020). Men are far more likely to rate healthy foods as not tasting good tasting good (33%) than are women (23%). More women than men (69% vs. 63%) rated healthy foods as helpful to the maintenance of long-term weight.

Pearl Strategy managing director of strategy and innovation Susan Weaver says that post-pandemic, Canadians are now more proactive with self-care and that this extends to food choice.

A goal shared by Gen X, millennials and Gen Z is seeking to boost energy levels.

“They are actively seeking out information and products to help with foundational habits and learning how food can help them feel more energized,” Weaver says.

The data also reveals that Gen X (62%) and Millennials (62%) are more likely to read nutrition food labels when shopping for food.

According to the research, 50% of respondents say they “manage my weight to keep up my appearance” compared with 42% in 2019, while more respondents “choose foods that give me immediate benefits” (48% now, versus 37% in 2019).

Among the other findings: the number of people reporting positive results from a healthy diet are down from 2020 levels (67% versus 59%), as are the number of people reporting that diet is very important to my health and wellness (63% versus 53% currently).

Lastly, more Canadians note that “Brand reputation is a priority for me” (38% versus 24% in 2020), while counterintuitively, fewer people cite food safety as a priority (63% versus 66% in 2020).