Italian
consumers care more about having their probiotics in yoghurt form than they do
about price, health claims and brand, according to new research.
A paper
recently published in the Food Quality and Preference Journal analysed the
probiotic preferences of 600 Italian consumers responsible for household food
shopping. Yoghurt outdoes orange juice and biscuits. The authors found that the base product was
the most important factor for consumers in selecting probiotic food and drinks
with a mean importance of 34%. Yoghurt was the most favoured product over
orange juice and biscuits, the only other two forms analysed. The researchers
found that surprisingly biscuits are preferred to orange juice; this could be
because probiotic orange juice was not yet widespread in Italy. Apparently consumers
deem products that are intrinsically healthy, such as yoghurt, as credible
carriers of functional properties,” they added.
Prevention health claim: Brand was the next most treasured
attribute (28%) for probiotics, followed by health claims (22%), while price was
the least desired quality (16%).
For health
claims, Study participants rated a prevention claim (prevents gastrointestinal
illness risk) higher than a generic claim (contributes to general well-being)
and a psychological claim (helps reduce intestinal symptoms). Concluding, consumers
seem to prefer yoghurts of a familiar brand, with a regular price level and claims
which prove disease reducing properties.
Consumer confusion: ¿What are functional foods?: Consumers were still not very clear what
functional foods really are, 16% of participants thought a functional food was
a light or diet product, while 9.5% thought they were foods for people with
dietary problems. There is no unique definition for functional foods, but a
2007 study by Niva said they are foods containing added, technologically
developed ingredients with a specific
health benefit. Almost a fifth of consumers said they had never consumed
functional foods because they did not know their properties or were doubtful
about potential benefits.
In Europe probiotic
market decline after a recent health claim ban, Euromonitor International expects the
European probiotic foods and supplements market to shrink €130m in the next
five years from €5.13bn last year to about €5bn in 2017.
A recent
health claim ban is seen as the likeliest culprit. Pre- and probiotic gut,
immunity and other health claims– along with the very use of the terms pre- and
probiotic – have been banned in the EU since December 14 last year.
Source: Oliver Nieburg, NUTRAingredients. http://www.nutraingredients.com/content/view/print/760081
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