Perception of Health Claims Among Nordic Consumers

Grunert, Klaus G.; Lähteenmäki, Liisa; Boztuğ, Yasemin; Martinsdóttir, Emilía; Ueland, Øydis; Åström, Annika; Lampila, Piritta

doi:10.1007/s10603-009-9110-0

Cited by 65 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The same reasoning is valid for the country of residence, for which our results confirm the literature that reports that the differences between countries represents a valid predictor of the choice of health claims (Saba et al, 2010;Van Trijp & Van der Lans, 2007). In particular, our results show a lower GHI and a lack of trust in health claims among the Danish consumers, which can be related to this country's recent market exposure to health claims (Grunert et al, 2009;Lähteenmäki et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…In the ambit of socio-demographic characteristics, the most significant predictor proves to be the country of residence (Saba et al, 2010;Van Trijp & Van der Lans, 2007). The literature interprets this phenomenon by associating it to various factors of the sociocultural environment, such as market exposure to health claims, trust in authorities, and familiarity with the carrier and the ingredient (Annunziata & Vecchio, 2011;Grunert et al, 2009;Saba et al, 2010). Conflicting results are recorded for gender, in relation to which several authors find a greater interest among women, while others observe no significant differences between the sexes (Ares & Gámbaro, 2007;Dean et al, 2007;Urala, Arvola, & Lähteenmäki, 2003;Urala & Lähteenmäki, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Some like it healthy: Can socio-demographic characteristics serve as predictors for a healthy food choice?

Contini

Casini

Stefan

et al. 2015

Food Quality and Preference

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some like it healthy: Can socio-demographic characteristics serve as predictors for a healthy food choice?

Contini

Casini

Stefan

et al. 2015

Food Quality and Preference

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“…As general health claims tend to be shorter (28) , easier to understand and evoke positive associations from memory (29) , they may be more likely to be preferred by consumers (4,26) . This might explain why some studies reported disease risk reduction claims to be perceived as less credible and less attractive than general health claims, as was the case for Belgian (22) , Irish (27) and Nordic (30) consumers. Differences across countries as to which health claim format is preferred have been reported.…”

Section: Health Claim Formatmentioning

confidence: 99%

European consumers and health claims: attitudes, understanding and purchasing behaviour

et al. 2012

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Health claims on food products are often used as a means to highlight scientifically proven health benefits associated with consuming those foods. But do consumers understand and trust health claims? This paper provides an overview of recent research on consumers and health claims including attitudes, understanding and purchasing behaviour. A majority of studies investigated selective product–claim combinations, with ambiguous findings apart from consumers’ self-reported generic interest in health claims. There are clear indications that consumer responses differ substantially according to the nature of carrier product, the type of health claim, functional ingredient used or a combination of these components. Health claims tend to be perceived more positively when linked to a product with an overall positive health image, whereas some studies demonstrate higher perceived credibility of products with general health claims (e.g. omega-3 and brain development) compared to disease risk reduction claims (e.g. bioactive peptides to reduce risk of heart disease), others report the opposite. Inconsistent evidence also exists on the correlation between having a positive attitude towards products with health claims and purchase intentions. Familiarity with the functional ingredient and/or its claimed health effect seems to result in a more favourable evaluation. Better nutritional knowledge, however, does not automatically lead to a positive attitude towards products carrying health messages. Legislation in the European Union requires that the claim is understood by the average consumer. As most studies on consumers’ understanding of health claims are based on subjective understanding, this remains an area for more investigation.

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“…Claims were constructed by combining different base products (bread, pork and yoghurt) with different active ingredients (no ingredient, omega-3-familiar and bioactive peptidesunfamiliar), type of benefit (cardiovascular, memory function and weight management) and claim structure (function only, health outcome only, ingredient + function, ingredient + health outcome, function + health outcome and ingredient + function + health outcome). The claims were framed either positively (achieving something positive) or negatively (avoiding something negative) and with/without the use of the qualifier 'may' (39,40) . An example of a claim used would be: 'This bread contains omega-3 which enhances memory function and therefore increases the likelihood of good memory retention'.…”

Section: Nordic Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition communication: consumer perceptions and predicting intentions

2011

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Health claims on food products, which aim at informing the public about the health benefits of the product, represent one type of nutrition communication; the use of these is regulated by the European Union. This paper provides an overview of the research on health claims, including consumers' perceptions of such claims and their intention to buy products that carry healthrelated claims. This is followed by a discussion on the results from some recent studies investigating public perceptions and willingness to use products with health claims. In these studies, claims are presented in the form of messages of different lengths, types, framing, with and without qualifying words and symbols. They also investigate how perceptions and intentions are affected by individual needs and product characteristics. Results show that adding health claims to products does increase their perceived healthiness. Claim structure was found to make a difference to perceptions, but its influence depended on the level of relevance, familiarity and individuals' need for information. Further, the type of health benefit proposed and the base product used also affected perceptions of healthiness. The paper concludes that while healthiness perceptions relating to products with health claims may vary between men and women, old and young and between countries, the main factor influencing perceived healthiness and intention to buy a product with health claim is personal relevance.

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Perception of Health Claims Among Nordic Consumers

Abstract: Health claims, Healthy eating, Marketing, Food,

Cited by 65 publications

References 31 publications

Some like it healthy: Can socio-demographic characteristics serve as predictors for a healthy food choice?

Some like it healthy: Can socio-demographic characteristics serve as predictors for a healthy food choice?

European consumers and health claims: attitudes, understanding and purchasing behaviour

Nutrition communication: consumer perceptions and predicting intentions

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