Consumer awareness and willingness to purchase probiotic food and beverage products: a study of Sonipat district, Haryana

Abstract

PurposeIn a developing country like India, consumers are shifting from high-energy diet to balanced nutritional diet, which enhances the metabolic, physiological, functional and health benefits of consumers. The growing self-care and health-embracing population made the probiotic sector as lucrative market for functional food manufacturers and suppliers. Therefore, an analysis is required to understand consumers’ knowledge and buying behavior regarding probiotic products for product innovation and development.Design/methodology/approachAwareness, knowledge and consumption patterns of probiotic products were investigated among randomly selected 306 consumers in the Sonipat city of Haryana, which comes in the proximity of national capital, i.e. Delhi, India. A structured questionnaire with exploratory characteristics was developed and face-to-face interviews were conducted as a part of data collection.FindingsThe inference is that there is immense potential for the probiotic fruit beverage market as a higher proportion of the population was interested in probiotic products delivered with fruits as a base matrix followed by dairy products. Further, government’s initiation and support are required not only for manufacturing such health-beneficial products having therapeutic value but also to spread awareness regarding the necessity of including such products in the meals of the growing children.Originality/valueThe study shows changing customer attitudes toward probiotic products and sheds light on consumers’ preference on the medium (food matrix) of probiotic delivery, thereby exploring market opportunities in the area of the functional food sector.

Knowledge and consumption of probiotics and prebiotics in India: a narrative review

“…23 Recent studies conducted in India show a generally high level of awareness of probiotics among the free-living population. 13,[24][25][26][27] However, it is important to note that these studies included predominantly younger participants aged 30 years and below from urban India. Studies conducted in Delhi have especially shown high awareness among the general public and college students.…”

“…28 While Sharma and colleagues found a lack of awareness of brand names among college students having a high awareness of probiotics, Arora & Prabha reported that free-living individuals with low awareness were in fact aware of the brands and products available as probiotics. 24,27 Research studying the knowledge of the meaning and definition of probiotics in adults has shown that more than 90% of study participants knew the right meaning of probiotics, with consumers of probiotics exhibiting better knowledge. 25,27,28 However, poor knowledge of the definition of probiotics was observed in some studies despite reporting high awareness.…”

“…25,27,28 However, poor knowledge of the definition of probiotics was observed in some studies despite reporting high awareness. 24,26 So far, two studies have attempted to gauge the knowledge of probiotic food sources among the general public. Arora and Prabha revealed that almost 40% of individuals knew Dahi and yogurt to be sources of probiotics.…”

“…Arora and Prabha revealed that almost 40% of individuals knew Dahi and yogurt to be sources of probiotics. 24 Another study reported that a majority (approximately 90%) of the survey participants were aware of yogurt and curd to be probiotic sources, while <40% were aware of other sources like millet porridges and fermented foods. 13 Observational studies showed that probiotics consumers associated probiotics with gut health, diabetes management, cancer risk-reduction, prevention of intestinal infections, and improvement of heart health.…”

“…While Arora and Prabha revealed higher awareness in females than males, which is consistent with various studies conducted worldwide, Gnanamkonda & Prasad reported contradicting findings. 24,[29][30][31] On the other hand, Raihing and Mageshwari found no difference in awareness between genders. 26 It is noteworthy that adolescents and young adults had a higher level of awareness when compared to older participants with the exception of one study conducted in Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh wherein participants above the age of 35 years exhibited better awareness.…”