The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), slated for launch in December, spotlight the special nutrient concerns at each life stage. The second of five major overarching guidelines is “Focus on variety, nutrient density and amount.”
There is no standard definition for nutrient density, and it’s not the primary consideration in most consumer food choices. A 2019 IFIC survey, https://foodinsight.org/consumer-research-nutrient-density/, found that only 15% of consumers ranked nutrient density as a primary factor driving food purchase, lagging behind taste, 58%, price, 45%, and healthfulness, 35%. As most dairy products are nutrient-dense, it behooves the industry to explore ways to promote nutrient density.