Chapter 20 - Functional foods in line with young consumers: challenges in the marketplace in Slovenia

Abstract

“Functional foods” is a relatively new term used to describe food products which have been enriched with natural substances/components with a specific physiological preventive and/or health-promoting effect. Factors such as raised consciousness about human health, development of the food industry, and medicine and branches of natural science studying the relation between nutrition and health have led to the popularization of foods with proven health effects. Such foods are called functional foods. Although there is growing interest in functional foods, there are several groups of consumers that are, more than others, interested in functional foods. The goal of this chapter is to explore the Slovenian young consumers’ perception of functional foods, to investigate underlying attitudes and their willingness to buy functional foods in the future. Consumer survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire on a sample of 150 young consumers aged between 14 and 35 years. Research questions focused on knowledge about functional foods, attitudes, and buying behavior regarding functional foods. Slovenian young consumers express a positive attitude toward functional foods. The majority of the respondents purchase functional foods, usually in hypermarkets and supermarkets. Apart from taste, the most important functional foods attribute is price/quality ratio. Three factors that explain young consumers’ attitudes toward functional foods are health awareness and confidence, lack of trust for functional foods, and a food’s price and quality. The results of this research could be used in planning further development of the functional foods market for young consumers. Overall positive attitudes toward functional foods should be reinforced and young consumers can be influenced through targeted advertising. This chapter gives the latest account of young consumers’ perception of functional foods in Slovenia. The results of this research can be used to plan further marketing activities.