Nutrition and Health Claims as Marketing Tools

Abstract

European regulations mandate that only substantiated and approved statements can be used as nutrition- and health-related claims in food marketing. A thorough understanding of consumer perceptions of these approved claims is needed to assess their impact on both the purchase intention of functional foods and the development of innovative functional food concepts. In this paper, a conceptual framework on the European consumers’ perception of nutrition and health claims on these functional foods is proposed. Through a literature review, common independent variables are structured, and an analysis of these variables shows that nutrition and health claims are mostly only perceived positive by specific target consumers (who need the product, accept the ingredient, understand the benefit, and trust the brand). These consumers indicate that the products with substantiated and approved claims help them in reaching overall health goals. This increased expectation in functional efficacy may mediate an increase in repurchase intent, overall liking, and the amount consumers are willing to spend. Other consumers, however, may have adverse reactions towards nutrition and health claims on functional foods. Implications for the consumer and the industry are discussed.

Keywords:

• Nutrition and health claims
• consumer perception
• functional foods
• food marketing
• goal fulfillment

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This paper before you could not have been written without the support of many people. The authors would especially like to express their gratitude to C. Goukens, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, Maastricht University and M.B. Kellerhals, Ph.D., Director Functional Ingredients Europe, Research and Development, The Coca-Cola Company for their quick and solid answers to (frequent) questions and the thorough proofreading at early stages of the process. In addition, we would like to thank P. Wennström, president and expert consultant of the Healthy Marketing Team, for his feedback. We also thank Prof. D.P. Richardson, Ph.D. founder and consultant of DPR Nutrition Limited, for his academic view on the matter. Lastly, we like to thank C.A. Clark, Ph.D., retired senior vice president of global public policy at the Kellogg Company, for her excellent editorial feedback.