Objective: To gain an insight into parental perceptions of infant feeding practices in five European countries. Design: An exploratory investigation using focus group discussions. Various aspects addressed included social and cultural setting for the consumption of food, infant feeding practice and behaviour, consumer health awareness and sources of information, and attitudes towards a healthy infant diet. Setting: Focus group participants were recruited from centres in five countries, Germany, Italy, Scotland, Spain and Sweden, with three focus groups being conducted in each centre. Subjects: A total of 108 parents with infants up to the age of 12 months participated in focus group discussions across these centres. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with participants from centres in five countries. Results: The majority of parents in this study chose to initiate breastfeeding and prepare infant food at home. Parents did not strictly adhere to infant feeding guidelines when introducing complementary foods into their infant's diets. There were crosscultural differences in sources of information on infant feeding practice with the paediatrician in Germany, Italy and Spain. The health visitor in Scotland and the child welfare clinics in Sweden were the most popular sources. Conclusions: A number of cultural differences and similarities in attitudes towards infant feeding practice were revealed. This makes European wide approaches to promoting healthy infant feeding difficult as different infant feeding practices are influenced not only by parental perceptions but also by advice from health professionals and feeding guidelines. Further data need to be available on parents' attitudes and beliefs towards infant feeding practice to investigate further the rationale for differing beliefs and attitudes towards infant feeding practice.

Purpose -The objectives of this study were: to investigate Irish consumers' attitudes to diet, health and health-enhancing foods; to determine Irish consumers' knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of health-enhancing foods; to examine the health-related factors perceived to be most important in food choice; and to examine the relationships between attitudes, beliefs and dietary behaviour. Design/methodology/approach -A total of 340 questionnaires were distributed to consumers using a multi-stage cluster-sampling technique. Findings -The key variables that accounted for the variation in dietary behaviour were attitudes to healthy food behaviours, perceived influence of diet on health, and nutrition knowledge. Differences were observed between attitudes and awareness of health-enhancing foods across gender, age and social grouping.Research limitations/implications -The results and conclusions of this research are derived from a study conducted in Dublin only and, therefore, it is not possible to generalise about the Irish population from these results. It would prove beneficial to conduct further consumer research on determinants of consumers' dietary behaviour for health-enhancing foods at different urban and rural centres in Ireland, as well as across European states for a cross-cultural perspective. Practical implications -Market segmentation, accompanied by appropriate carefully targeted educational messages, and addressing the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of the target group can help to close the gap between actual and healthful diets for the entire population. Originality/value -This research can assist health policy makers implement promotional strategies to improve the nutritional status of at-risk groups while supporting efforts by the food industry in identifying appropriate marketing strategies within the healthy foods sector.

Perceived social norms may exert a stronger influence on breastfeeding outcomes than a woman's breastfeeding attitudes and knowledge. Differences between European countries in the duration of breastfeeding may be explained in part by differences in societal attitudes to breastfeeding in public.

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PurposeThe objective of this study is to identify the optimal product design attributes for a range of chilled probiotic orange juice beverages, and to evaluate the contribution of market‐oriented research methodologies to the development and strategic marketing of innovative functional beverages.Design/methodology/approachA conjoint‐based survey was administered to 400 purchasers of chilled orange juice in both Dublin and Cork between May and September 2004.FindingsNew product development (NPD) opportunities exist for probiotic juice‐based beverages, although functionality should not be relied on solely to leverage a competitive advantage.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey sample only included primary purchasers of chilled orange juice, owing to the increased importance of the chilled orange juice category in Ireland. Further research that would incorporate purchasers of ambient orange juice, and end‐users of both chilled and ambient orange juice in Ireland, as well as across European states for a cross‐cultural perspective, would prove beneficial to both manufacturers and retailers.Practical implicationsAdvanced market‐oriented research methodologies during the concept stage of the NPD process can assist both food and beverage firms and retailers to develop and market functional foods and beverages that more closely meet consumers' needs and values.Originality/valueThis research can assist beverage manufacturers to optimally design a range of chilled probiotic orange juice beverages targeted at specific market segments, and provide guidance for effective positioning, communication and pricing strategies of innovative functional beverages.