Uncertainty and Satisfaction Towards Functional Foods: Does Self-Efficacy Make the Difference? An Extended Abstract

Abstract

Functional foods (FFs) offer consumers a way to switch from traditional nutritional patterns to proactive and optimal nutrition. The concept of functional food—which implies exogenous technological intervention to add an extra-bioactive component meant to target a specific function of the body—is defined as a conventional food, “a part of a standard diet and consumed on a regular basis, in normal quantities. It has proven health benefits that reduce the risk of specific chronic diseases or beneficially affect target functions beyond its basic nutritional functions” (Doyon and Labrecque 2008). To date, many studies have highlighted all the concerns still associated with functional foods in consumers’ minds (e.g. Del Giudice and Pascucci 2010; De Jong et al. 2005). However, although functional foods remain controversial, consumer behaviour in this product category appears conflicted, with some consumers reporting a degree of scepticism towards product efficacy but engaging in routine consumption (Niva 2007). How do consumers deal with perceived risk and, further, how do they derive satisfaction from including functional foods in their diet? This paper analyses the role of perceived self-efficacy (PSE)—i.e. the belief in one’s ability to succeed in a given task—within the context of functional foods. More specifically, we aim to examine whether consumers’ confidence in their personal ability and judgement (“I am certain that I can choose the right functional food”) may influence satisfaction towards functional foods, in the light of both perceived quality and perceived risk of the product.