Abstract
Various studies have shown that the public is aware of the importance of milk and milk products in human nutrition. Even so, older adults still do not consume the recommended amount of dairy products. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of older adults (50-81 years) about the nutritional value of dairy products as well as their beliefs about these products. The most common concerns about milk and dairy products were added sugar (60%), cheese substitute (55%), and artificial aroma (55%). A majority of respondents rated milk as a good supplier of calcium, believed that consumption of dairy products improves bone health in older age, and also believed that it is better to drink milk than to consume calcium supplements. On the other hand, iron, vitamin C, and vitamin D content were often overestimated. The majority of older adults also stated that milk contains a lot of fat and believed that consumption of full-fat dairy products increases body weight and adversely affects cholesterol level.
Highlights
Food studies generally indicate that health and nutritional value are among the most influential motives for the consumption of food products [1,2,3]
The present paper focuses on knowledge of the nutritional value of dairy products and concerns about these products
A majority of respondents were concerned about added sugar (60%), cheese substitute (55%), artificial aroma (55%), salt content (42%), and microorganisms (42%) in milk and dairy products
Summary
Food studies generally indicate that health and nutritional value are among the most influential motives for the consumption of food products [1,2,3]. Factors that influence evaluation of the healthfulness of food vary from the very specific (like fat content or sodium content) to the more general (such as naturalness or freshness) [2]. These judgments are based on belief, which means that consumers may not experience healthful qualities directly, so increasing the importance of consumer attitudes in whether products are accepted or rejected [4,5]. The importance of taste should not be underestimated [1,4]
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