Consumers' Trade-Off between Nutrition and Health Claims under Regulation 1924/2006: Insights from a Choice Experiment Analysis.

Rosaria Viscecchia,Gianluca Nardone,Giuseppe Nocella,Domenico Carlucci,Antonio Seccia,Francesco Bimbo,Biagia De Devitiis

doi:10.3390/nu11122881

Rosaria Viscecchia, Gianluca Nardone + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122881

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for functional mozzarella cheese whose health benefits (reduced fat and enrichment in omega-3) are communicated by using nutrition claims (article 8) and health claims (articles 13 and 14) of the EU Regulation 1924/2006. In order to achieve the stated objective a choice survey was developed and administered to a sample of Italian respondents. The product attributes and attribute levels included in the choice experiment were obtained from in-depth interviews conducted with stakeholders working on the development of this new product in the Italian region of Puglia. Results show that many participants were not aware of functional food. Marketing segmentation performed via latent class analysis indicates that the development of this hypothetical product should be based on the addition of naturally enriched omega-3. In terms of health communication under Regulation 1924/2006, heterogeneity of preferences of the nine identified segments reveals that respondents have a clear preference for products from the Puglia region, for the combined nutrition claim over single nutrition claims and for the reduction of disease health claim (article 14) over the health claim (article 13). In monetary terms, willingness to pay for health claims is higher than nutrition claims.

Highlights

The “European Union (EU) Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods” makes a clear distinction between nutrition claims, health claims, and reduction of disease health claims
The scientific substantiation of health claims is a challenging and long process because it requires a substantial effort in terms of financial and human resources on behalf of the food industry to get these claims approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
Supermarkets, and shops market an enormous variety of functional food products, our results show only 21% of respondents were informed about functional food products

Summary

Introduction

The “EU Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods” makes a clear distinction between nutrition claims (article 8), health claims (article 13), and reduction of disease health claims (article 14). Health claims inform consumers that a relationship exists between a food or one of its constituents and health, while the reduction of disease health claims inform consumers that the consumption of a food or one of its constituents reduces a risk factor in the development of a human disease. To be included in the community list of permitted health claims, claims must be based on generally accepted scientific evidence and well understood by the average consumer [1,2,3]. The scientific substantiation of health claims (articles 13 and 14) is a challenging and long process because it requires a substantial effort in terms of financial and human resources on behalf of the food industry to get these claims approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In order to use these claims manufacturers face challenges related to changing lists of ingredients, wording of claims, and limited financial and research and development resources [5]

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