Purpose -The objectives of this study were: to investigate Irish consumers' attitudes to diet, health and health-enhancing foods; to determine Irish consumers' knowledge and awareness of the health benefits of health-enhancing foods; to examine the health-related factors perceived to be most important in food choice; and to examine the relationships between attitudes, beliefs and dietary behaviour. Design/methodology/approach -A total of 340 questionnaires were distributed to consumers using a multi-stage cluster-sampling technique. Findings -The key variables that accounted for the variation in dietary behaviour were attitudes to healthy food behaviours, perceived influence of diet on health, and nutrition knowledge. Differences were observed between attitudes and awareness of health-enhancing foods across gender, age and social grouping.Research limitations/implications -The results and conclusions of this research are derived from a study conducted in Dublin only and, therefore, it is not possible to generalise about the Irish population from these results. It would prove beneficial to conduct further consumer research on determinants of consumers' dietary behaviour for health-enhancing foods at different urban and rural centres in Ireland, as well as across European states for a cross-cultural perspective. Practical implications -Market segmentation, accompanied by appropriate carefully targeted educational messages, and addressing the attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of the target group can help to close the gap between actual and healthful diets for the entire population. Originality/value -This research can assist health policy makers implement promotional strategies to improve the nutritional status of at-risk groups while supporting efforts by the food industry in identifying appropriate marketing strategies within the healthy foods sector.