Is food involvement in purchasing decisions always low? A consumer study from Germany

Publication date: September 2019Source: PharmaNutrition, Volume 9Author(s): Carolin Kamrath, Sukhada Bidkar, Stefanie BröringAbstractConsumer demand for health-enhancing food is increasing over the last decade. However, in the European Union, the definition of food is rather broad, i.e. both ordinary food products and dietary supplements are regarded as food, although their presentation format and functionalities considerably differ. This might influence consumers’ involvement in purchasing decisions of dietary supplements compared to ordinary food products. To this end, we explore consumers’ involvement in dietary supplements and factors influencing it by conducting CATI interviews with 350 German consumers and applying the method of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results indicate that as compared to ordinary food products, German consumers were involved higher in the purchase of dietary supplements. Further, health motivation positively influenced involvement but health status had no significant influence. Our study provides interesting insights about purchasing health-enhancing food and contributes to literature on nutrition and health in relation to consumer behavior. Implications suggest need for customized communication and promotion of healthy food choices based on consumers’ involvement level by considering the role of health motivation in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Results can benefit companies and policymakers in the co...

Source: PharmaNutrition - July 10, 2019 Category: Nutrition Source Type: research