Watching the trends helps focus nutrition education strategies.

Marketing professionals know that identifying a need and positioning a product to fill that need is the key to successful sales. Rita Storey Grandgenett, MS, RD, former director of nutrition services at Con Agra Frozen Foods, Omaha, Neb, and a member of the Dietitians in Business and Communications dietetic practice group, knows that dietetics professionals need to apply that same principle to their practice. To help dietitians identify the needs of consumers, she looks at a few of the trends in the food-buying and preparation behaviors of today's consumers and offers practical advice for dietitians trying to gear their messages for consumers' maximum benefit.

* Time constraints …