CHICAGO — Consumers are more concerned with fat and calorie intake than sugar or high-fructose corn syrup content, according to a study from Mintel Research Consultancy.

“When reading ingredient labels, shoppers are more focused on fat content and calories than the amount or type of added sugar,” said Erin Murray, senior analyst with Mintel Research Consultancy. “We found that nearly 4 in 10 label readers seek information on fat or calories compared to just 3% who look specifically for HFCS and 25% who seek information on sugar content.”

Consumers also are more likely to be limiting fat and calories than sugar and sweeteners. Thirty-seven per cent of consumers said they limited or avoided calories in the past six months and 20% limited or avoided fats and oils. Only 17% reported cutting back on foods with sugar or added sugar and 4% said they actively limited or avoided HFCS.

“We sought to find out how cognizant consumers are of HFCS, what they’ve heard about HFCS and what efforts they’re making to reduce or limit their intake of HFCS and other sweeteners,” Ms. Murray said. “Sugar and sweeteners in general seem to be a bigger concern than HFCS.”