Consumer Knowledge of Garlic for Nutrition Education Programming

Abstract

Garlic intake has been the subject of research for its many potential health benefits. Consumers have continuing interest in food-related topics, food preparation, and growing their own food in small gardens. Garlic has specific agronomic protocols because it is not grown simply from seed. As a culinary aromatic, garlic use may be somewhat mystifying for some. This research study used an online consumer survey with 558 participants to determine basic garlic consumption habits, knowledge of the research related to health benefits of garlic, experience with and interest in growing garlic, and some basic demographic information. The top reason for using garlic, at 64% of responses, was ‘cardiovascular’ benefits, followed by ‘anti-bacterial’ at 45% and ‘blood pressure support’ at 37%. Only 3% of respondents reported that they were currently taking garlic supplements. The top two preferred garlic forms used at home were ‘dried garlic powder’ and ‘fresh, raw garlic,’ at 86% and 83% respectively. We noted a budding interest in growing garlic for home harvest and in educational information, especially when available in online print and video formats. The survey results showed that more programming is needed to emphasize the health benefits of the natural phytochemicals (plant chemicals) contained in garlic as part of an overall balanced diet.