Why buying functional foods? Understanding spending behaviour through structural equation modelling

The market for functional foods has been growing steadily in recent years, as it is linked to a healthier diet and adds value to food products. However, more information regarding aspects that influence functional food (FF) spending behaviour is needed to gain a better understanding of what underlies FF choice and avoid product failure. The objective of this study was to build a structural equation model of Spaniards' FF spending behaviour, based on individual characteristics such as satisfaction with life, decision-making styles, gender, age and some attitudes towards food choice. This required prior validation of the functional food questionnaire for a Spanish context, which was another objective of the present work. The findings suggest that a positive attitude (reward, necessity, confidence) and novelty are good predictors of FF spending.     

Consumer Valuations and Preference Heterogeneity for a Novel Functional Food

ABSTRACT:  Recent trends in the marketing of functional foods suggest that multiple-benefit products are becoming more common. Yet it is unclear which consumers are most interested in, or best served by, such novel or new generation functional foods. With emerging scientific evidence of efficacy and more diverse products offered for sale, a broader range of consumers are likely to become interested in dietary interventions to enhance health. Consumers will likely respond based on a range of motivation, health conditions, and knowledge levels suggesting "one size will not fit all." Given such an evolving marketing environment, this paper presents 1 research technique exploring differences in consumer preferences and valuations for a novel functional food product—a tomato juice containing soy. A discrete choice experiment is applied to examine consumer valuation of this novel functional food. Data were collected from 1704 households in Ohio through a mail survey. The choice experiment manipulates whether or not the product is organic, whether it contains natural or fortified nutrients, and product price. Estimates of consumer willingness to pay a premium price are based on conditional logit and mixed logit models, which permit an examination of consumer preference and valuation heterogeneity for key product attributes. Results indicate that health benefits and ingredient naturalness are positively valued, but such preferences and valuations depend on an individual's education, income, and food purchase behavior. Naturally occurring nutrients are preferred over fortification. Considerable heterogeneity is found in the data suggesting that a range of market segments may exist.     

Consumers' beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified foods, based on the 'perceived safety vs. benefits' perspective

It has been repeatedly claimed that the application of genetic engineering in the field of agricultural and food production is both beneficial and advantageous. However, biotechnology is developing in an environment where public concerns about food safety and environmental protection are steadily increasing. The present study aims at gaining an insight into Greek consumers’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified (GM) food products. The objectives of this study are summarized as follows (i) to provide evidence that consumer beliefs are built around the ‘safety‐benefits’ axis, and (ii) to segment the Greek market in terms of consumer beliefs about GM food products and identify a number of clusters with clear‐cut behavioural profiles. Although the overall attitude of Greek consumers towards GM food is negative, the research very interestingly concludes that there exists a market segment of substantial size, whose beliefs about GM food appears to be positive. This finding suggests that there is not a ‘consensus’ regarding the rejection of GM foods in the Greek market as one might have expected thus ‘encouraging’ the implementation of adequate marketing strategies to target this segment of ‘early adopters’ in the first place.     

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

Authorising new health claims in Europe will favour the diffusion on the market of a greater number of foods with health claims. This scenario presents new opportunities to promote healthy food choices and launches new challenges to define strategies aimed at promoting products on the market. The literature suggests that our understanding of consumers’ sensitivity to health claims is still fragmented and should be further investigated. Our objective is to study the relationship between choice behaviour, attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics in order to evaluate the effectiveness of consumer characteristics in predicting consumers’ choice of products with health claims. Towards this end, we have conducted a choice experiment for extra-virgin olive oil on a sample of Danish (n = 1024) and Italian (n = 1000) consumers. Applying the latent class approach has enabled us to identify a niche of individuals sensitive of health claims and to characterise them with respect to the rest of the population. The results supply insights for the development of more targeted health promotion campaigns, as well as for actions in food marketing.     

Functional Foods and Nondairy Probiotic Food Development: Trends,Concepts, and Products

ABSTRACT: Recently, the focus of scientific investigations has moved from the primary role of food as the source of energy and body‐forming substances to the more subtle action of biologically active food components on human health. There has been an explosion of consumer interest in the active role of food in the well‐being and life prolongation, as well as in the prevention of initiation, promotion, and development of nontransmissible chronic diseases. As a result, a new term—functional food—was proposed. Among these foods, probiotics may exert positive effects on the composition of gut microbiota and overall health, and the market is increasing annually. An increased demand for nondairy probiotic products comes from vegetarianism, milk cholesterol content, and lactose intolerance. Therefore, the development of these products is a key research priority for food design and a challenge for both industry and science sectors. This article presents an overview of functional food development, emphasizing nondairy foods that contain probiotic bacteria strains.     

Unveiling health attitudes and creating good-for-you foods: the genomics metaphor, consumer innovative web-based technologies

This article presents an integrated analysis of three emerging knowledge bases in the nutrition and consumer products industries, and how they may effect the food industry. These knowledge bases produce new vistas for corporate product development, especially with respect to those foods that are positioned as 'good for you.' Couched within the current thinking of state-of-the-art knowledge and information, this article highlights how today's thinking about accelerated product development can be introduced into the food and health industries to complement these three research areas. The 3 knowledge bases are: the genomics revolution, which has opened new insights into understanding the interactions of personal needs of individual consumers with nutritionally relevant components of the foods; the investigation of food choice by scientific studies; the development of large scale databases (mega-studies) about the consumer mind. These knowledge bases, combined with new methods to understand the consumer through research, make possible a more focused development. The confluence of trends outlined in this article provides the corporation with the beginnings of a new path to a knowledge-based, principles-grounded product-development system. The approaches hold the potential to create foods based upon people's nutritional requirements combined with their individual preferences. Integrating these emerging knowledge areas with new consumer research techniques may well reshape how the food industry develops new products to satisfy consumer needs and wants.     

Functional foods: An overview

A direct relationship between foods and health has led to various scientific studies to find the significance of foods or food ingredients on specific functions in the body. The term functional food refers to food with specific beneficial functions, is first coined in Japan. The present paper reviews the factors that have driven the functional food development, various definitions proposed by different authors and their classification. It also provides an overview on various functional ingredients in different food sources along with their potential health benefits, state of the art in commodity-based development and research on functional foods, the key factors required for their mass popularity, including some highlights on the increase in the global market share for such products. Mentions have also been made on the fact that framed rules for proving health claims of functional foods by conducting longitudinal studies before launching in the market are still lacking in many countries.     

The Beneficial Use of Cereal and Cereal Components in Probiotic Foods

Cereals and cereal components can be used as fermentation substrates for probiotic organisms imparting prebiotic effects. Consumer interest in healthy functional foods has resulted in the need for food products with versatile health-benefiting properties. The conventional choice for probiotic food applications has been dairy-based products, but whole grain-based probiotic functional foods have debuted in Japan and Europe. In the US, pro- and prebiotics are mainly marketed as dietary supplements, but are moving towards inclusion in the diet as mainstream foods. Cereal constituents, such as wheat bran-based ingredients fermented with probiotics, would enhance consumer health with the benefits of probiotics, bran fiber, and healthful bioactive components.     

Critical Issues in R&D of Soy Isoflavone-enriched Foods and Dietary Supplements

ABSTRACT: Increasing consumer awareness of soy as a healthy food ingredient has led to a tremendous growth in sales of soy isoflavone‐enriched foods and dietary supplements in the past 3 y. Because of their weak estrogenic activity, isoflavones are believed to have preventive effects for several hormone‐dependent diseases. This article discusses some critical issues to be considered in any R&D program of novel soy and isoflavone products for the healthy‐food market, such as (1) Which isoflavone compounds should be in the product? (2) Which individual isoflavones are the most beneficial ones? (3) Can certain isoflavone groups be targeted to specific disease prevention goals? (4) Are there any safety concerns in isoflavone consumption? (5) How are isoflavones affected by thermal processing and storage? (6) How should isoflavones be analyzed? These questions may affect the choice of isoflavone source, processing conditions, quality control procedures, and marketing considerations.     

休闲食品——中国食品市场新亮点

<正> 在包装食品行业内目前已经产生了一种共识,认为在中国市场非正餐食用的休闲食品将成为新的发展趋势。这是经济增长和人们消费模式不断西化所导致的结果,这个现象在一线城市尤其明显。在中国,休闲食品主要有甜味和咸味小食品等。狭义地讲,主要是焙烤类食品。与甜味零食相比,中国消费者更喜欢     

Promoting the Development of Value-added Specialty Foods through University-based Food Venture Centers

ABSTRACT: Food entrepreneurship is a vital part of the food industry that focuses on creating specialty foods from agricultural products. Many entrepreneurial businesses are farm-based to complement the fresh market with longer shelf-life value-added processed foods that utilize products not suited for the fresh market, and excess production that commonly ends up as farm waste/losses. In some cases, the agricultural production is solely dedicated to fulfill the specialty niche market targeted by the small processor. Food entrepreneurs need comprehensive assistance to become successful processors and marketers. As start-up ventures, their knowledge and economic resources are limited. Support from university-based food venture centers must include training, counseling, technical services, regulatory compliance assistance, technology transfer, and specialized referrals. The Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship, a joint effort of Cornell Univ. and the Univ. of Vermont, is a successful model that benefits from key partnerships to promote food ventures in rural and urban communities. For the last 3 years the center has provided assistance and training to more than 3500 individuals interested in food entrepreneurship, and assisted the development and marketing of over 1000 specialty products. Three examples of farm-based value-added enterprises are presented to highlight the center's accomplishments and economic impact.     

Ways and Means for the Infusion of Bioactive Constituents in Solid Foods

The development and consumption of functional food, or foods that promote health not merely basic nutrition, is on rise. In recent years, industrial and consumer interests have focused on developing foods supplemented with bioactive constituents that provide greater physiological benefits. The direct addition of these components to liquid or fabricated solid foods has led to a wide range of new products appearing on the market. Osmotic dehydration, an operation in which food stuff is soaked in solution of low water activity, has been reported as a suitable technology for formulating new products because of the twofold effect that it has on food where it partially removes water and impregnates the food pieces (solid food matrix) with solutes from the osmotic solution. The article focuses on the impregnation of bioactive constituents having added advantage to human health such as antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and probiotics. The infusion of enzymes and aroma also has been discussed. Application of ultrasound, vacuum, high pressure, and/or atmospheric impregnation techniques appears to be the feasible technologies for impregnation of solid food matrix for the incorporation of bioactive ingredients.     

Dietary oxidised lipids,health consequences and novel food technologies that thwart food lipid oxidation: an update

Processed foods are popular and their consumption is expected to grow globally. Food processing and manufacturing promote lipid oxidation in foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. This review focuses on how various food manufacturing/processing techniques promote lipid oxidation in grains, meats and meat products, dairy and fats/oils. This review also considers emerging evidence from animal and human studies that suggest a link between dietary oxidised lipid consumption and chronic disease risk. An update on novel food technologies that limit food lipid oxidation is discussed so as to inform both food scientists and dietitians/nutritionists to direct future efforts in not only continuing to bring these novel technologies to the market place but also conduct clinical trials to establish their role in human health.     

Food Technological Applications for Optimal Nutrition: An Overview of Opportunities for the Food Industry

Abstract: An increasingly important determinant in food choice is the growing consumer concern about nutrition and health. This focusing of consumer interest on the food supply, and also extensive research and technological developments in food science will provide further opportunities for new product development. The Food‐Based Dietary Guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union (EU) legislation on health claims play an important role in regulating information to the public about a wholesome diet and for improving the availability and affordability of nutritious food choices to consumers. More specifically, the food industry can contribute by reducing the number of energy‐dense products; by improving the nutrient profile of processed food through the reduction of salt, added sugar, trans‐fatty acid, and saturated fat content. As a result, food science and technology are prompted to create a new framework for these food‐based dietary guidelines, principally in the areas of food physics, methods of food storage and preservation, nutrient restoration and fortification of foods, and the development of health‐focused designer foods and functional foods. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of some further opportunities for new product development and nutrition research. Some topics related to the energy reduction of foods include: dilution and structure design, carbohydrate and/or fat substitutes, and inhibition of enzymes in carbohydrate and/or fat digestion; additionally, regulation of some metabolic functions with food‐derived bioactive peptides and probiotics, and enrichment of foods with bioactive compounds are reviewed in this overview as the most promising issues.     

鱼油在食品领域中的应用技术综述

对鱼油在食品领域中的应用技术进行综述。由于具有独特的营养功能,鱼油的应用十分广泛。中国居民目前对二十碳五烯酸(EPA)和二十二碳六烯酸(DHA)摄入不足,因而鱼油在食品中的应用十分必要。目前市场上已有多种鱼油应用于各类食品中。在应用过程中,鱼油的氧化稳定性问题一直是研究热点,选择不同的添加形式(纯鱼油、乳状液和微胶囊)并采用某些新工艺可有效提高氧化稳定性。鱼油应用于食品在技术和商业方面的发展前景均十分广阔。     

绿色食品网络营销模式的检视与构建分析

随着人们对健康的重视, 绿色食品受到广泛地关注, 成为最受欢迎的食物之一, 而网络营销为绿色食品营销提供了新思路。绿色食品营销商家积极开拓新的网络营销的方式, 促进绿色食品的销售。但目前绿色食品网络营销存在部分地区互联网技术不发达、绿色食品网络营销商缺乏专业的营销知识和手段、绿色食品质量无法保证、网络营销法制不完善等问题。本文对目前我国绿色食品网络营销模式种类及其优缺点进行了分析, 提出需要改进的方面, 并为构建新型绿色食品网络营销模式提供了新思路。     

Probiotic Dairy Products as Functional Foods

Abstract: Foods that affect specific functions or systems in the human body, providing health benefits beyond energy and nutrients—functional foods—have experienced rapid market growth in recent years. This growth is fueled by technological innovations, development of new products, and the increasing number of health‐conscious consumers interested in products that improve life quality. Since the global market of functional foods is increasing annually, food product development is a key research priority and a challenge for both the industry and science sectors. Probiotics show considerable promise for the expansion of the dairy industry, especially in such specific sectors as yogurts, cheeses, beverages, ice creams, and other desserts. This article presents an overview of functional foods and strategies for their development, with particular attention to probiotic dairy products. Moreover, special attention is paid to the sensory properties of such products to provide important information about their most desirable attributes.     

Functional milks and dairy beverages

During the last decade, consumers' approach to healthy foods has changed dramatically, and today enhancing the health span of consumers through consumption of healthy food is more important than simply enhancing their life span. Rising medical costs are the prime factor forcing people to find cheaper and effective means of protecting their health. This fact has led to an increase in consumers' interest in functional foods. Dairy products occupy a significant space in the functional foods market and dairy-based functional beverages are a growing segment of this sector. This article reviews recent scientific, technological and commercial developments in the functional dairy-based beverage sector.     

Ensuring the future of functional foods

Consumption of functional foods suggests a strategy to reduce the incidence of chronic health disorders. This message has resonated with consumers and driven market growth. Functional food research has significantly increased over the last decade but few studies have addressed the bioavailability of active ingredients for clinical efficacy. Baked goods such as bread, biscuits and cake are popular categories for innovation due to their widespread consumption. These new developments have often impacted on organoleptic properties of the finished products and thus consumer acceptance. Blending of bioactive ingredients may overcome this deficit. However, an understanding of the role of the microbiome in health has indicated that the efficacy of functional foods is unlikely to be uniform within the population. Further growth in the functional foods market, is likely to require greater evidence of the bioavailability of active ingredients, clinical effect and support for health claims by regulators especially in the EU.     

膳食纤维与益生元在婴幼儿奶粉中的应用研究进展

膳食纤维作为一种新兴的营养配料,在保健品、食品中获得了良好的应用,但是在婴幼儿配方食品中一直没有突破。2012年1月12日,卫生部批准水溶性膳食纤维-聚葡萄糖作为营养强化剂应用于婴幼儿配方食品,对婴幼儿食品市场是一个福音。本文着重从发达国家对聚葡萄糖在婴幼儿食品中开展的相关试验入手,进一步探讨聚葡萄糖在婴幼儿食品中应用的可行性,为推动婴幼儿食品健康做出一些前瞻性的研究。