German Consumers’ Attitude towards Selenium-Biofortified Apples and Acceptance of Related Nutrition and Health Claims

Abstract

The present study investigates consumers’ acceptance of Se-biofortified apples, as well as Se health and nutrition claims that have been approved by the European Commission. Despite indications that such statements are more likely to be accepted if the carrier product itself has a healthy image, unprocessed fruits biofortified with Se have not been investigated in this context yet. Apples as the most frequently-consumed type of fresh fruit in Germany may offer the potential to improve the Se status of consumers when the produce is enriched with Se. Therefore, an online survey of 356 German adults was conducted to analyze different aspects that could affect the perception of and preference for the proposed product concept by consumers. The findings indicate a moderate acceptance of Se-biofortified apples, as well as of Se health and nutrition claims among the participants. Additional information about beneficial health effects of Se had a significant impact on consumer acceptance. People who regularly eat convenience food and prefer to buy apples at supermarkets were particularly attracted by the product idea. In conclusion, the results of the study indicate good prospects for a successful introduction of Se-rich apples in the German food market, if the produce is advertised with approved health and nutrition claims.

The Role of Health Information in Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Canned Crushed Tomatoes Enriched with Lycopene

“…The shock variable is no longer significant when adding interactions; therefore, the variables selected to explain the divergence in the bid before and after the informative shock completely explain the phenomenon. The role of information is already well-known, and recently confirmed also in the case of very familiar functionalized food products characterized by an image of naturalness such as apples [59]. However, to the best of our knowledge, this research is the first attempt to identify the factors that are involved in the formation of the premium price resulting from an information shock.…”

Iodine Biofortification of Apples and Pears in an Orchard Using Foliar Sprays of Different Composition

“…Biofortified fruit can be marketed with nutritional claims such as “rich in iodine”. The willingness of customers to buy such products is even greater when other quality characteristics such as the taste of the fruit are also appealing ( Wortmann et al, 2018 ). The sugar content affects the degree of sweetness and thus the taste of the fruits ( Aprea et al, 2017 ; Charles et al, 2017 ).…”

Influence of a Selenium Biofortification on Antioxidant Properties and Phenolic Compounds of Apples (Malus domestica)

“…The biofortification of plant produce allows for vegetarians or vegans in particular to fulfill their needs naturally and as an alternative to food supplements [12,13]. A previous consumer survey clearly indicated that German consumers would prefer selenium-rich apples instead of food supplements for improving their selenium supply [14]. Another advantage of the intake of selenium-containing food as compared to the intake of supplements is the different bioavailability of the varying selenium forms.…”