Britains fat misconceptions exposed

• 86% of people dont know how much fat is in a glass of semi-skimmed milk
• The fat content of milk is over-estimated by 12 times its actual value[i]
• Two fifths of Brits say fat content is more important than taste

Many Brits are obsessed with keeping fat out of their diets, but barely any of us can identify how much of it is in even the most basic foods, new research reveals.

According to a poll of 3,000 Brits[ii] conducted as part of the make mine Milk campaign, almost two fifths (37%) of us say that avoiding too much fat is the most important consideration when we cook and is more crucial than the taste of the meal. Furthermore, the fat content of foods was revealed to be much more of a concern than salt content (16%) and sugar levels (5%).

Despite two thirds (66%) of respondents claiming to have good knowledge of how much fat is in different foods, very few people accurately identified the correct fat content of everyday products. When asked to guess the fat content of a glass of semi-skimmed milk, an incredible 86% of people got the answer wrong.

Semi-skimmed milk contains less than 2% fat yet on average people thought the fat content was 21.6%, 12 times higher than the actual figure.

And many were way off the mark. One in 10 Brits equivalent to more than 4.5 million[iii] people on a national  scale thought that semi-skimmed milk contained more than 50% fat.

Milks position in the fat misconception stakes was only trumped by tuna steak, which was on average thought to contain 20% fat, 19 times above the true figure of 1%[iv].

The top five most over-estimated foods for fat content[v]

At the other end of the scale, the results showed that there are also misconceptions about foods with a high fat content. On average, olive oil, which is nearly 100% fat, was thought to contain just 40% fat.

Dr Judith Bryans, a registered nutritionist and director of The Dairy Council said:

Its great that so many Brits pay attention to their fat intake but this research shows that peoples knowledge of fat facts is actually rather thin on the ground. People have preconceived ideas about the goodies and baddies when it comes to nutritional values and are mistakenly labelling some foods as high in fat, when really theyre not. Low fat milk is less than 2% fat and is a source of vitamins and essential minerals such as calcium.

Jayne Middlemiss, host of Live from Studio Five and winner of Celebrity Masterchef in 2009 said:

I love cooking at home and the fat content of ingredients I use is something I take seriously. Some people, like myself, may not realise the true fat content of the foods they eat. I hope that we can all learn from these survey results and that in future, we will be more mindful about the actual fat content of foods. Its so easy to make changes if you do want to cut down on the amount of fat you consume, for instance, cook with semi-skimmed instead of whole milk.

The Milk Marketing Forum conducted the research as part of the make mine Milk campaign which aims to reignite the nations love for the white stuff. To learn more about the nutritional benefits of milk, check out the campaign website at www.makemineMilk.co.uk.

, following make mine Milk on Twitter @makemineMilk or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/makemineMilkuk