INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006 Consumer aspects relating to the development of functional foods Klaus G. Grunert MAPP – Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector Aarhus School of Business
Mar 27, 2015
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006
Consumer aspects relating to the development of functional foods
Klaus G. GrunertMAPP – Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food SectorAarhus School of Business
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 2
Overview
The consumer view of food quality The perspective for functional foods Consumer-driven product development in the
functional food area
Acknowledgements: Joachim Scholderer, Tino Bech-Larsen, Helle Alsted
Søndergaard, Rasa Krutulyte, MAPP Projects SCANOMEGA, FUNCFOOD, CROSSENZ, SLUT
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 3
What consumers want from food products
Good tasteGood smell, good appearance, good texture…
ConvenienceIn shopping, storing, preparing, eating…
NaturalnessNo GMOs, no E numbers, animal welfare, organic
production… Healthiness
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 4
Are consumers aware of the link between food and health?
Which factors have most effect on your health?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Denmark Finland USA
Healthy and variedeatingExercise regularly
Avoid stress
Avoid smoking
Sleep regularly
Genetically determined
Avoid alcohol
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 5
Good intentions
I generally try to eat a varied and healthy diet
05
1015202530354045
Completelydisagree
Disagree Neitherdisagree nor
agree
Agree Completelyagree
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 6
Good intentions
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1.Completely
disagree
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.Completely
agree
% c
onsu
mer
s
Exercise more
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Eat less sugar
Eat less fat
Eat more fish
Smoke less
Drink less alcohol
I intend to:
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 7
Difficult implementation
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1. Not atall
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Verymuch
% c
onsu
mer
sEat more fruits and vegetables
Eat less fat
Eat less sugar
Eat more fish
Smoke less
Drink less alcohol
In the last couple of months, I have started to:
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 8
1
285
0
100
200
300
400
Health Other
Thought content category
Food-related thoughts of a sample of consumers during a 1 week period
Healthiness of food in daily life
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 9
Importance of health at point of purchase and after consumption
0
0,1
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
Before purchase After consumption
Sensory qualityHealth quality
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 10
Health in consumer food choice
Health is a major element of perceived quality But health is not top of mind in everyday food
purchasing and handling Many consumers believe that their diet is pretty
healthy as it is Consumers will not make compromises with
quality of life− “If you had a life with enjoyment, if that’s steak and red
wine, then you probably had a good life”
Health carries no reinforcement People don’t want to become ’too healthy’
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 11
The consumer view of food quality The perspective for functional foods Consumer-driven product development in the
functional food area
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 12
What do consumers think about functional foods?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1.Completely
disagree
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.Completely
agree
% c
onsu
mer
sFoods enriched with healthy ingredients arehealthier than normal foods
Foods enriched with healthy ingredients areagainst my personal values
I t is a good thing to enrich foods withhealthy ingredients
I might start buying foods enriched withhealthy ingredients
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 13
The perspective for functional foods:Trade-offs and synergies among quality criteria
Health and convenience:− The convenient way to healthy eating
Health and good taste:− Functional foods are still foods, and no
compromises with taste are accepted Health and naturalness:
− The problem with undesirable technologies
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 14
Health and naturalness
“In a way I like that the food I eat is pure - that nothing has been added”
“I don’t think they should put more additives in the food…even though they are not really additives”
“It makes me think of food being injected with a syringe”
“If people eat butter they know it is unhealthy…and then the food manufacturers develop something different…I think that’s cheating”
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 15
Naturalness and degree of processing
Organic Conventional Functional GMO
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 16
Carriers and ingredients: Natural combinations are prefered
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Yoghurt Müsli bar Fishballs
Tunasalad
Babyfood
Ryebread
Liverpaté
Omega-3Fish oilVitaminsMineralsPlant sterolsCaffeineFibre
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 17
The perspective for functional foods:The information problem
Health benefits are invisible – they have to be communicated in a way that is credible and understandable
Health claims are regulated Consumers are sick and tired of complex,
confusing and contradictory information about what is healthy and what is not
Consumers are confused − by technical terms− by verbal qualifiers like ’research shows…’, ’may
help…’− by probabilities and risk statements
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 18
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
no enrichment omega-3 oligosacharides
no claimphysiological claimhealth claim
The need for simplification
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 19
The limits of information processing
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 20
The limits of information processing
Nutritionallabel
Ingredientslist
Health claims
PerceptionUnder-
standingEvaluation Purchase
Decision-making
PurchaseAssociations Affect
Brand
Appearance
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 21
Perspectives for functional foods
Can draw upon the basic health motive and consumers’ desire for convenience
Need to take into account consumers’ desire for products that are ’natural’ or produced in a ’natural’ way
Are foods, and few consumers will trade lack of taste for more health
Are information-intensive products, and communicating health benefits is a complex task
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 22
The consumer view of food quality The perspective for functional foods Consumer-driven product development in the
functional food area
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 23
Consumer-driven product development
The right balance between exploitation of new technology and a thorough understanding of consumer needs
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 24
Consumer driven product development
Things to take into account− Selection of health benefits− Selection of carrier/ingredient combinations− Framing of health-related messages− Cultural differences− Consumer segments− The right technology− Health branding approach
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 25
Cultural differences
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 26
Segments
Segment 4: The
challenged5%
Non-adopters51%
Segment 3: The well to-do
12%
Segment 1: The as-yet
invulnerable17%
Segment 2: The
overeaters 15%
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 27
The right technology
-1,00
-0,50
0,00
0,50
1,00
Non-GM plants GM plants Non-GMmicrobes
GM microbes
Enzyme production system asked about
Att
itu
de
(ipsa
tive v
alu
es)
Finland
Germany
I taly
Example: Attitude to enzyme production systems
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 28
Health branding
Building up strong, unique and favourable health-related brand associations
Consistency – product appearance, sensory properties, labelling, advertising, PR, use of symbols all have to support the health message
Credibility – alliances, endorsers, back-up of scientific evidence
INYS, Lund, November 29, 2006Dias 29
Consumer driven product development
Things to take into account− Selection of health benefits− Selection of carrier/ingredient combinations− Framing of health-related messages− Cultural differences− Consumer segments− The right technology− Health branding approach
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