French people often poorly informed about their diet, according to a survey

Detox cures, dietary supplements, red meat: the French lack guidance on their diet and are often poorly informed, according to the 2025 Critical Thinking Barometer, published Thursday.

For its fourth edition, this survey, conducted by OpinionWay for Universcience, examined the eating habits of the French and exposed their vulnerability to misinformation.

More than half (58%) of those surveyed believe that detox cures are effective for "cleansing the body after overeating", 37% that food supplements "compensate for a poor diet" and 34% that "men need more red meat than women".

This false information meets with an even higher approval rate among young people – 15-24 years old – at 65 %, 53 % and 46 % respectively.

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In total, "more than eight out of ten respondents adhere to at least one of the untruths tested," the barometer indicates.

Faced with the proliferation of resources and information, 56% of French people admit to not really knowing who to believe. Their primary source of information remains their friends and family (54%), ahead of the internet (excluding social media, 50%) and healthcare professionals (30%), who only come in third place.

And even if the vast majority of respondents (79%) say they trust doctors and dieticians or organizations like Santé publique France (71%) first and foremost, more than half (55%) also say they trust "professionals in alternative and complementary medicine," who are frequent sources of misinformation.

The French, and particularly young people, are also increasingly turning to digital players.

Among 15-24 year olds, 46% trust YouTubers and scientific influencers, and 63% trust specialized nutrition apps, such as OpenFoodFacts or Yuka.

Concerned about eating well, more than half of those surveyed (56%) report regularly reading product labels and packaging when shopping.

Just under half (49%) say they take into account, when making their choices, at least one nutritional aspect – such as the Nutri-score (24%) – or an ethical criterion (47%) – such as the production method or fairness.

However, when it comes to choosing, priority remains given to prices or promotions for the vast majority of French people (69%).