Mike Neary, Horticulture Division Manager, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board

Research has been carried out by IPSOS Strategic Marketing and the University of Belgrade into the effect of food choice motives, nutritional knowledge, and the use of food labels on consumer attitude towards foods with health claims.
Face-to-face interviews were conducted in six European countries including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia with a total of 3,085 participants. Each national sample was representative of the population. The questions comprised of a list of food choice motives, nutritional knowledge, trust and use of labels, and attitudes towards functional food.

In their analysis, the researchers found that mood, sensory appeal and the perceived health benefit influenced participants' attitude towards a functional food the most. Health benefit was strongly influenced by trust in claims and familiarity with food labels. Most respondents agreed that the use of food labels is beneficial because it leads to a healthier food choice. The interviews showed that consumers trust the nutrition information on-pack more than their own nutritional knowledge about what is in the product.

In this study, functional food was generally perceived as positive. The study further revealed that functional food is not only associated with health effects, but respondents also linked it to a certain sensory appeal. As health effects of functional foods are still perceived as the key feature by many consumers, specific health effects as well as benefits and perceived threats from use should be communicated clearly. In addition to this, the research suggests to also consider sensory appeal as a prime motive in food choice.