Functional foods: Consumer willingness to compromise on taste for health?

This study investigates socio-demographic and attitudinal determinants of consumer willingness to compromise on taste for health in the specific case of the functional foods category. Cross-sectional consumer data were collected in Belgium from two socio-demographically comparable samples in 2001 and 2004 using a similar research method with personal interviews. Results show that the gap between acceptance of good versus worse tasting functional foods has widened significantly from 2001 to 2004. Whereas females and elderly were more ready to compromise on taste for health in 2001, any socio-demographic differences faded away in 2004. Health benefit belief from functional foods emerges as the strongest positive determinant of willingness to compromise on taste, but both its level and its predictive power on willingness to compromise on taste decreased over time. During the data collection interval, the perceived importance of food for health increased significantly. All evolutions combined are indicative for decreasing unconditional acceptance of functional foods, especially on taste, and a lower conviction that functional foods can constitute a part of a healthy and tasteful diet among a large majority of consumers. The conclusion is that counting on consumer willingness to compromise on the taste of functional foods for health is a highly speculative and risky strategic option.