WASHINGTON – Baby boomers and the millennial generation are different in many ways, including their eating habits. In the 2016 Food and Health Survey, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) addressed how the perception and consumption patterns between the two generations differ.

The survey found that boomers are looking carefully at the health benefits of food compared to other generations. Millennials are more likely to be interested in benefits such as mental health, muscle health and immunity associated with foods.

“IFIC’s consumer research continues to provide valuable insights into consumer perceptions on a number of issues related to food and nutrition,” said Joseph Clayton, CEO of the IFIC Foundation. “These results further show how diet is not ‘one size fits all.’ This is especially apparent across the generations.”

According to the study, boomers are more likely than millennials to rate certain foods as healthy – whole grains (80 percent vs. 70 percent), protein from plant sources (75 percent vs. 63 percent), and omega-3 fatty acids (71 percent vs. 59 percent).

The survey also showed differences in the credibility of the sources of information about healthy food. Boomers are more likely to trust their personal healthcare professionals (HCP) for information on the types of food to eat, compared to other generations.

According to the survey, 75 percent of boomers are more likely to trust registered dietitians and nutritionists (RDNs) and personal HCPs (73 percent) than are millennials (65 percent trust RDN, 58 percent trust HCP) and the general population (67 percent trust RDN, 61 percent trust HCP).

Boomers are less likely to trust fitness professionals (16 percent), farmers (11 percent), and bloggers (8 percent). Millennials put more trust in those same sources (27 percent for fitness professionals, 21 percent for farmers and 18 percent for bloggers). And the general population fall somewhere in between the two generations (26 percent trust fitness professionals, 9 percent trust farmers, 15 percent trust bloggers).