Portion Balance Coalition Research

In March 2024, the Portion Balance Coalition unveiled its inaugural signature Power of Portions research report. The report reveals how food portions support broader health and sustainability goals, including lower obesity rates, long-term health outcomes, cost-saving measures, and reduced food waste. 

Download the report.

As obesity rates and related health challenges reach new levels of concern – which are further compounded by the scrutiny of the food system’s impact on the planet and global sustainability goals – the “Power of Portions,” report provides a “state of the union” level assessment of portion sizes through an analysis of consumer behaviors, corporate strategies to promote a healthier society and efforts towards reducing the industry’s carbon footprint.

 

In late 2022, the Portion Balance Coalition worked with Natural Marketing Institute to conduct a national survey with 1.300 participants (age 18+) that builds on the Portion Balance’s pre-COVID study done in 2019 as baseline for comparison data.

The goal of the 2022 Portion Balance Attitude and Action Tracking study was to learn whether consumers have made portion-specific behavior changes post-COVID compared to pre-COVID days. The findings are clear: Americans want smaller food portions.

In 2019, the Portion Balance Coalition and National Consumers League commissioned a national survey with 4,700 participants, age 18 and over to understand consumer understanding of portions and portion-related behaviors. See the report: Addressing the Obesity Epidemic Through Portion Balance: A National Study on Portion Awareness and Attitudes.

In early 2018, a Delphi study designed and administered by public health researchers at CUNY resulted in a Collaboration Roadmap with an article published in Spring 2019.

Research & Reports

There has been extensive scientific research and reports conducted on the topic of portions and on obesity prevention in general. Below are a number of links to research that the PBC has referenced to inform its strategic plan and informs its continued work.

 

Collaboration Roadmap

 

In 2018, a Delphi survey developed and administered by a team of public health researchers at CUNY engaged many of the PBC members as they represent a multidisciplinary group from different interest groups in the fields of obesity, public health, food production, access and distribution, and the broader nutrition field. This study consisted of three successive rounds of surveys to a panel of respondents over three-month period, from the end of January to the end of March, 2018. Survey results and analysis were published on January 30, 2019 in the article “Informing a roadmap for cross‐sectoral collaboration on portion size management as a national strategy to improve population nutrition – a Delphi study” in Obesity Science & Practice.

Case Studies

The Portion Balance Coalition aims to highlight positive marketplace innovations involving food and beverage portions.

If you are interested in having a portion-related initiative or project profiled in a case study, please contact us at Georgetown Business For Impact.

 

Taco Bell

Learn how Taco Bell, the nation’s leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant (QSR) brand with approximately 350 franchise organizations operating 7,000 restaurants across the U.S., eliminated its extra-large (“XL”) beverage cup size.

Panera Bread

One of the U.S.’s largest national restaurant chains led with a health and wellness lens as it launched its new beverage line called “Sweetness for Every Taste” and improved the nutrition and calorie profile of its bakery good offerings. Learn in this case study how the company achieved this win-win in terms of profitability and public health.

Consumer Experience Mapping

 

In fall 2018, over 35 representatives from the major sectors participated in Georgetown Business for Impact-facilitated workshops to co-create consumer experience maps based on four distinct Millennial personas, composite sketches compiled from consumer research and data. Common needs, motivations, behaviors, thought processes, and backgrounds were outlined to make the personas feel like a real person.

lucia_pg1.jpg

Consumer experience maps are valuable tools for inspiring empathy and a shared understanding of the challenges facing various individuals. The exercise was designed to demonstrate the value of having multiple sector voices and perspectives working together to co-create a “day in the life”, which provided a window into the food environment of these millennial personas.