Consumer awareness of and attitudes towards
functional foods

Improve the market targeting of new functional foods by understanding what UK consumers know and feel about these products.

The emergence of the market for functional foods reflects a change in attitude amongst some groups within the population, away from ‘balanced’ diet for ‘adequate’ nutrition towards optimising diet to maximise health and reduce risk of disease. Since the concept of functional foods first appeared in Japan in the 1980s, many products have been developed and the market for these has spread across the globe. However, there has been little research into what UK consumers think of these products or even into the level of awareness of their existence.

This report provides a factual analysis of consumer awareness of and attitudes towards functional foods and their perceived health benefits. It describes the approaches used - including copies of the recruitment questionnaire and discussion guide - and the findings obtained. In addition to attitudes to the foods themselves, the study explored more general attitudes to food in relation to health. It also looked at reasons for buying or not buying particular food types - including the influence of sources of information, such as media coverage, and the significance of existing perceptions about the healthiness or otherwise of particular product types.

Contents

Introduction - background, aims and scope

Methods - recruitment, sample details, venue and foods examined

Research findings

Health concerns
   The main health issues
   Preventative measures
   Summary

Consumer awareness of foods with health benefits
   Awareness of a healthy diet
   Awareness of specific foods with health benefits

Consumer awareness of and attitudes towards ‘functional’ foods
   Awareness and understanding of specific functional foods
   Barriers to functional foods
   Belief in claims

Discussion and conclusions

References

Appendices - questionnaires and discussion guide