This column does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors and management of Nation’s Restaurant News.

In my decades in the food industry, I’ve seen consumer trends swing over the course of just a few years. Once, we couldn’t get enough fondue; we’ll see how long today’s cupcake craze lasts.


It’s always helpful to learn where attitudes stand so you know what requires your immediate attention, and a new survey of 800 Americans performed this past autumn offers some idea of where public opinion is.


Obesity is still a big, hot political issue, even if we haven’t heard of too many fast-food lawsuits recently. Developments in Europe might not surprise you: France imposed a soda tax, Denmark slapped a tax on products containing saturated fat, and the United Kingdom’s prime minister spoke up for a “junk food” tax. 


But “fat taxes” are gaining a hearing in the United States, too. Proposals to tax soft drinks are becoming an annual event in a few state legislatures. Yet the “fat tax” philosophy faces firm public opposition. Eighty-three percent of Americans oppose taxes on high-calorie foods to discourage consumption, and 74 percent oppose soda taxes. 


While acceptance of government menu intervention — such as labeling requirements — has grown, 69 percent of the public still doesn’t think the government should tell us what to eat, and 89 percent think lack of exercise is a major cause of obesity. Seventy percent believe obesity is a personal issue. 


There also are some disturbing trends: Junk science being used and promoted by activists is gaining public acceptance.


For one, Americans believe by a slight 45 percent to 38 percent margin that foods like meat and chocolate can have addictive effects. The idea that food is addictive is antithetical to the notion of personal responsibility. It’s really a backdoor effort by Yale University’s Kelly Brownell, other food-police activists and trial lawyers to pin legal liability on food-industry suppliers and retailers. 


Brownell believes that personal responsibility is “an experiment that failed.” Fortunately, most Americans still believe in it.


Second, about one-third of Americans think there have been more than 10,000 cases of childhood mercury poisoning from fish. The real figure? Closer to zero.


On the whole, though, sit-down restaurants, packaged-food companies and meat companies still enjoy a good public image as compared with other industries. 


Unfortunately, activists are hard at work to change that.


Animal rights activists, for example, have been pressuring restaurants and producers to implement changes that are costly and not necessarily supported by science. A common theme is that restaurants should only use cage-free eggs.


In 2012 we’ll continue to see fighting over advertisements to kids. San Francisco recently banned giving away toys in some kids’ meals, and a similar proposal exists in Nebraska. Americans believe by a three-to-one margin that kids’ meals should be required to emphasize healthier food options. But Americans oppose bans on toys in kids’ meals by a similar margin.


Eighty percent of Americans oppose taxes on high-sodium foods, but when it comes to whether the government should regulate how much salt restaurants and companies put in food, the opposition shrinks to 60 percent. Keep your eye on this, especially considering the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture took comments about federal sodium regulations through the end of January.


On a separate note, Massachusetts’ Public Health Council just banned caffeinated beverages — even tea — from all school cafeterias and vending machines. There’s no indication that caffeine is becoming a general target among the whole population, as salt is, but it’s worth monitoring.


As always, there are some good trends and some bad ones, and new ones will develop. You never know when the Center for Science in the Public Interest will find a new “heart attack on a plate.” But an overall belief in personal responsibility over government intervention continues to serve as a good buffer against bad policy.


If you’d like the full results, send me an e-mail with your name and title at Berman@BermanCo.com.

Richard Berman is president of Berman & Co., a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm.