In recent decades, Americans have paid increasing attention to food ingredients — though we have little to show for it yet. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer, and the U.S. is No. 1 in obesity. In many ways, the health care debate today is centered on the cost of our food consumption choices.

Big business has noticed though. Even fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s, offer nutritional alternatives to the trans-fat-laden meals of old.

Increasingly, American food consumers are going to be paying attention to more than just nutritional content. In Britain, a government plan has encouraged food producers to label the carbon footprint of their food — a complicated undertaking since the environmental impact of goods and services can be difficult to quantify. A 2007 article by The Guardian noted that vegetables grown in Africa and imported by air to the U.K. might have a lower carbon footprint than those grown in British greenhouses.

Globally, consumers care more today about what type of the conditions their food was harvested or slaughtered in, whether the food product was genetically modified, and how the product affects the environment. The U.S. isn’t all aboard this trend yet, but it probably won’t be long. As usual, Europe is taking the lead in food labeling.

For instance, Europe and countries like Australia and Japan are taking the global lead in requiring labels on some types of genetically modified food. The U.S. — and Canada — do not require such labels.

According to ProQuest, a research provider, virtually “all U.S. consumers have been exposed to [genetically modified] food products.” It’s unclear what the health effects of that might be.

American food consumers are going to be more aware of the prevalence of genetically modified food, and there are active campaigns to require labeling of genetically modified food. In 2003, for instance, Pew Research Center found that more than half of Americans said it is bad to scientifically alter some fruits and vegetables (though the percentage saying so was the lowest of seven nations where the question was asked).

In surveys, the American public is generally more skeptical about issues like climate change and the potential negative effects of genetically modified food. A Pew study released Oct. 22 found a significant decline in the number of Americans who said the Earth is warming — possibly because of the increased focus on the economy and other issues. Only 57 percent of Americans said there was solid evidence the Earth is warming, which is down 14 percentage points from April 2008.

But the numbers, and trends toward carbon-conscious behavior, is still significant.

Buying food, like purchasing virtually any product, is a vote with one’s wallet. In general, the 21st century American food consumer will pay more attention to the environmental, social, political and ethical consequences of their food choices. Big business should notice.

Reach Matt at matt.culbertson@asu.edu.