Consumer preferences for burgers and milk desserts: Evaluating the importance of health claim attributes

Abstract

The question that guided this work was if health claims should receive special attention by evaluating if these claims stand as a relevant attribute to consumers. Thereby, the goal of this work is to explore how consumers deal with different food product attributes, including health claims, in frozen burgers (Study 1), and milk desserts (Study 2) via conjoint analysis (CA). In Study 1, the ranking‐based CA revealed that the attribute “Claim” is more relevant than “Price” and that the Claim level of “Source of Fibres” in burgers is rejected by consumers. In Study 2, the rating‐based CA also reveals “Claim” as the most valued attribute in milk desserts, and consumers reject the Claim level of “Antioxidants” but are favorable to “Fiber”. As conclusions, the claim is the most important attribute in both cases. Still, while consumers did not respond positively regarding frozen burgers with health attributes, there was a positive asset for milk desserts. Practical Applications The manuscript brings a contribution to the field of food consumer studies by assessing claim attributes in different ways in terms of products, designs, and conjoint methods. The information obtained in this study brings useful insights regarding the importance of claims in consumer preference. One example is the discussions regarding some cautions that food industries should have regarding functional claims, as some levels were rejected in both carriers. Through this study, it is possible to disseminate the importance of gaining understandings regarding claims in functional foods, and especially regarding Brazilian consumers.

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