Consumers get functionality, food companies need to tap in

Consumers are now looking beyond basic nutrition and towards condition-specific functionality in their purchases, according to an IFIC survey.

The International Food Information Council (IFIC) commissioned a web-based national survey of US adults and found consumers overwhelmingly believe food and nutrition play the greatest role in maintaining or improving health. The key now is for functional food manufacturers to bridge the marketing or consumer awareness gap so as to further tap into this market potential. After all, based on the findings that consumers understand the link between food and health, they must also be purchasing accordingly.

"Consumers may not be able to tell you exactly what nutritional components they're seeking when they shop for fruits and vegetables or fish, but they can tell you why they're doing it," said IFIC director of health and nutrition, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak. "It's because there's a strong food and health benefit connection at work. "The sample size of this survey was 1,000 adults, with the research conducted between April 10 and 24, 2007.

The survey is an annual event and this year there was an all-time high of 92 percent of respondents able to link specific food and health benefits, such as calcium for bone health. "Our survey results show the American public is receptive and eager to receive nutrition information about specific foods and their health benefits," said Reinhardt Kapsak. "They want to make wiser choices about what kinds of foods they eat based on a desire to improve their overall well-being and their physical health. "While 75 percent of the respondents indicated they believe nutrition is the key factor in maintaining and improving good health, another 85 percent agreed that certain foods have health benefits that go beyond basic nutrition and may reduce the risk of some diseases.

"The majority of Americans are interested in learning more about food and health relationships, and in consuming components, such as antioxidants, whole grains, fiber, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, soy, among others for their health benefits…," said Reinhardt Kapsak. "The next step is motivating consumers to fit these foods into their diet so that they improve their health and sustain it for a lifetime." Food manufacturers can play a role in this through their marketing and packaging of functional foods, as well as by means of any accompanying campaigns to spread consumer awareness. Health claims have also been useful in getting this message across to consumers, although this labeling right has been notoriously difficult to come by for food companies.

This is the fifth edition of the survey, which was also fielded in 1998, 2000, and 2002, and 2005. The survey is planned to be fielded again in 2009.

By Clarisse Douaud, 10 Oct 2007, Nutra Ingredients Europe