It's good for me: It has added fibre! An exploration of the role of different categories of functional foods in consumer diets

Abstract

This study extends extant research by examining the impetus behind the consumption of both nutritionally rich and nutritionally poor functional foods. It uses diaries and in‐depth interviews and demonstrates that nutritionism theory, that is, where focus shifts from base food products to their constituent nutrients, is central to consumers' perception and consumption of functional foods. An unfortunate consequence is that consumers are unable to distinguish between nutritionally rich and nutritionally poor functional foods, believing instead the health claims of both. Nutritionally poor foods are often as unhealthy and calorific as nonfortified alternatives, and thus this consumption behaviour can have a negative impact on consumer well‐being. This is exacerbated by functional foods being used to boost unhealthy diets as an alternative to more substantial dietary overhaul and being habitually used as substitutes for healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. Finally, this article reveals that theories of guilt and justification can and should be applied to the consumption of functional foods because many consumers often use functional foods and the nutrients therein to assuage any guilt resultant from unhealthy eating patterns. This study has important implications for nutrition policies. It illustrates the necessity of educating consumers about (i) what constitutes a healthy diet and (ii) the role of nutrients as building blocks in healthy diets, highlighting the importance of choosing appropriate sources for these nutrients. This should enable them to make healthier dietary choices and reduce their propensity to use functional foods as a quick fix to unhealthy eating patterns. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Impact of Consumer Confusion on Nutrition Literacy and Subsequent Dietary Behavior

“…Contrary to what is discussed in the relevant literature (Grunert et al, 2010a;2010b;2012), this study reveals that food adverts, and information on food products themselves, are the most significant sources of nutrition information for many participants. It was clear that many of our participants learned about nutrients such as fiber, calcium, omega 3, and others, from food adverts incorporating these elements.…”

“…However, this will depend on what is substituted, and what is used as a substitute (Spiteri-Cornish, 2012;Wansink, 2007), as flawed nutrition information or misleading advice from non-expert sources can lead to unhealthy substitutions.…”

“…A category of foods that exemplifies this issue is functional foods, that is, fortified and enhanced foods (Heasman & Mellentin, 2001;Kleinschmidt, 2003;Lahteenmaki, 2003;Menrad, 2003;Spiteri-Cornish, 2012;Wansink, 2007). Research demonstrates that the commercially-oriented health credentials of these foods (e.g.…”

Consumer decision-making for functional foods: insights from a qualitative study

“…For this reason, while quantitative approaches have been utilised (Bech-Larsen and Grunert, 2003;Ares et al, 2007), qualitative ones have been favoured by many researchers (Bhaskaran and Hardley, 2002;Niva, 2007;Barrios et al, 2008;Landström et al, 2009;Cornish, 2012). Bhaskaran and Hardley (2002) explored consumers' beliefs and attitudes towards functional foods by means of focus groups in the USA.…”

“…Bech-Larsen and Grunert, 2003). A more recent study (Cornish, 2012) points to a more interesting finding; sometimes consumer perceptions that foods that contain nutrients are always healthier can result in unhealthy food choices just because these are accompanied by a health claim.…”