Attitudes towards products with health claims. focus groups, Serbia

Transcription

1 Attitudes towards products with health claims focus groups, Serbia

2 Respondents. Who was targeted and why? ELDERLY (people over fifty) Because it was expected them to have more health related problems, due to their age. This should result in more attention to healthy diet. MOTHERS of children up to 15 years of age Because they should be more awareness of healthy nutrition in this group, since they are in charge of their children s eating.

3 Goals of focus groups on food with health claims Healthy life style, healthy diet Model of food purchase and food consumption Purchase process: information that make a difference for buyers Nutritive claims Health claims Motives for purchase and consumption of products with h.c. Barriers for purchase and consumption of products with h.c. Perception of typical consumer of products with h.c. Future expectations

4 Healthy diet, spontaneous associations First associations, both groups Pure ecological environment for cultivation (mention of organic food) Hygiene (in growing, processing, packing and preparation) Ways of preparation: cooked, boiled ( to be eaten with a spoon ), quickly prepared, or no preparation at all: colorful fresh fruit and vegetables Positive atmosphere, warmth, love, family, loyalty, support. Faith, hope. Self esteem, life satisfaction. In our family, I cook only when I am in the mood. Once I put thyme in it (in Serbian mother s precious ), they know I m having a good day (Mother, clerk, 56) Not every food is soul food (Mother, curator, 43) Frugality: food and drinks in small amounts, even the forbidden ones (chocolate, rakija) One glass of rakija, one bar of chocolate. If you can stop yourself, it s good for you (Clark, 57)

5 Healthy diet, spontaneous associations Healthy food: Safe & Beneficial for health

6 Koncept zdrave hrane (ubaciti fotografije sa kolaža)

7 Food purchase and preparation: who, how & when Although there are changes towards more fairness in household duties, food purchase and preparation remain primarily FEMALE job (especially true for households with small children and multigenerational households) Women are in charge for healthy diet of the whole family. Even if men are involved, women are the ones that make decisions. I go grocery shopping, but I buy only what my wife tells me to I don t think at all, I just blindly follow the shopping list (Engineer, 53) The habit of everyday small grocery shopping is still present, but people tend to buy more on weekly or monthly bases. No place of purchase is a guarantee for the food to be fresh and healthy. Barriers and suspicion: green market (interlopers, food with no safety certificates, with pesticides); supermarkets, hypermarkets (imported, no health certificates, not fresh). I can tell you this I trust no one! (Elementary school teacher, 65)

8 Purchase process: information that make a difference Expiration date: Freshness of products is very important, BUT there seems to be a margin of optimal shelf life (e.g. for fruit yoghurt it is a month or two). If it is indicated to be longer, consumers doubt its quality (it has supplements, added ingredients, preservatives, it is over processed) When I see a product with crazy long shelf life, I know instantly they took its heart and soul while producing it. (Military pilot, 54) Country of origin: domestic and EU products are more trusted. Countries it is exported to: quality indicator (the more, the better).

9 Nutritional labels: what do they tell the consumers Detailed nutritional information: quality guarantee. It indicates it has been properly analyzed. It is important for it to be translated in Serbian. BUT There is no habit of reading and no understanding of nutritional labels. I am no expert, it doesn t mean anything to me (Mother, 28) Calories are the only information that counts: the lesser the better, but the opposite goes for children. Even the information of percentage of recommended daily values is perceived to be too complicated, it requires too much effort. If nutritional labels are read, they are scrutinized for NEGATIVE INFORMATION: dangerous additives or preservatives. I am searching for the E signs if there are too many, no way I will buy the product (Housewife, 53)

10 Nutritional labels: what do they tell the consumers Detailed scrutinizing of nutritive labels: only for SOME products and SOME populations: Only for a few products, consumers know what to look for content wise, they are aware of quality indicators ( e.g. percentage of cocoa in chocolate) Specific subpopulations (chronically ill, allergy prone, on special dietary regiment) are forced to be informed about nutritive content: percentage of fat, sugar, allergens.

11 Food purchase: impulsive or deliberate? Not rational buyers. No detailed comparative analysis of price quality ratio for a group of products. Nor random buyers. They rely on certain cues. Bounded rationality, heuristic cues for decision making: Familiarity and experience with products, habit (buying traditional brands), nostalgia. When I shop for yoghurt, I don t contemplate I always buy the one with pink cow ( Kravica, Imlek) I can t go wrong (Mother, 27) I eat Jaffa when I was a little girl. I still do. Novelty (packaging, advertising, health improvement effect) I like to try it out just to see if they are lying (Mother, 28) Consumers insist that for deciding upon CONTINUING purchase, crucial factor is price quality ratio.

12 Food with health claims: typical consumer female over 50 younger than 25 well situated health problems h e a Mothers l well informed urban appearance trendy Elderly

13 Products with h.c., motives for purchase Innovative, scientific It is scientifically proven to be beneficial for health. There is research behind it. (Engineer, 71) Specific ingredient (familiar health claim) It is important for me that is bioactive. (Mother, 43) I look for probiotics. (Retired, 58) It contains magnesium. Magnesium relaxes. (Housewife, 58) Prior experience I tried it before, it seems to improve my digestion. (Retired, 62) Word of mouth I buy Balans with cereals for the kids, everyone says it s healthy. (Mother, 41) Trend My daughter is always searching for new things to help her loose weight. (Mother, 43)

14 Products with h.c., barriers for purchase Doubt in added ingredients : vitamins, minerals, Q10 and other enzymes they are untraceable. I don t know if they added it, I don t know how much they added. If I am to take supplements, I will buy those in pharmacy, so I can have some control to what I am consuming. (Engineer, 54) Some adding is unnatural and unnecessary. You tell me what are added vitamins looking for in yoghurt! The yoghurt contains enough vitamins itself. (Retired teacher, 65) Why should one add Calcium in the fruit juice there are natural sources of Calcium (Mother, 28) Health claim doesn t communicate to consumers This claim is too long. Too many scientific terms. Not for me. (Clerk, 43) Products perceived as products for specific groups. Part of the population doesn t view themselves as potential consumers. This is for people with health problems. I will try it when I am old (Mother, 28) Why should I try this I have no problems with my bones yet? (Mother, 33)

15 Claims that appeal to consumers Short & simple Down to earth, not condescending Everyday language, introducing one scientific term per claim Avoid targeting, specific, narrow populations. Novelty, trend, attractive packaging can attract wider range of consumers.

16 Food with h.c. future expectations In relatively close future, there will be more variety of products with health claims. Products with h.c. will be widely available in supermarkets (maybe at specialized shelves). More and more health problems will be treated by changes in diet. Consumers will be better educated, and aware consumers shop for this products. We are behind, but we follow the trends. It is a trend worldwide and it will be here too. (Worker, 58) My sisters live in Australia they put their glasses on, and they read every detail on the label. It is normal there, and it will be normal here too. (Retired teacher, 57)

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