Leo Burnet published the outline findings of a large-scale study into the food-shopping habits and eating behaviors of 4,600 Americans, called Navigating the Big Food Labyrinth. The study showed that six in ten Americans are moving away from eating and purchasing processed Big Food products, but this doesn’t mean that they are entirely leaving Big Food behind or are all doing so in a uniform way. Pushpa Gopalan, SVP, Strategy Director at Leo Burnett USA, and Elizabeth Knapp, SVP, Research Director of the HumanLab at Leo Burnett Worldwide, are responsible for the study, which included 105 foods and eating occasions with 74 attributes and 100,000 food substitutions. However, more than saying that consumers are leaving processed foods for health reasons, the study shows that eating and purchasing behaviors are more segmented than once believed. According to the findings, relationships and behaviors toward Big Food are highly varied. In fact, Gopalan and Knapp identified six types of grocery shoppers, defined by their motivations concerning health, quality and convenience: Wellness committed, foodie hedonists, empty pantries, healthy enough, prefab flavor seekers, and good enough shortcuts; each with their own distinct food profile. What this means is that eating and purchasing behaviors are more segmented than once believed. For Leo Burnet, the most important finding for big brand marketers is that consumers did not necessarily consider Big Food an enemy. “We saw people ascribe quality, convenience, nostalgia, and trust to these brands and think of them fondly. Which, to us, spells opportunity” said a post in the agency’s website. So, the advice for companies is to “play to the spectrum” of consumers in the market. Avoid easy blanket assumptions, and, instead, be aware of the product’s role in the specific motivations of a consumer group.