Health and nutrition claims' effects on consumer perception of omega-3 enriched convenience meals

Health and nutrition claims are effectively used by food manufacturers to communicate health benefits, but such claims do not necessarily make products more appealing from the consumers' perspective. The aim of this study was to evaluate consumers' perception of omega-3 enriched ready meals with and without health and nutrition claims on the packaging label. Participants (n=117) evaluated omega-3 enriched ready meals in a home-use-test. They were randomly assigned into two groups and received two different types of enriched ready meals (fish, vegetable) to be consumed within one week. One group received meals with conventional labels while the second group had labels with nutrition claims stating high content of omega-3 fatty acids with related health claims. The respondents answered questions on overall liking, perceived health benefits, product attractiveness and their willingness to pay in an online questionnaire after the consumption. Furthermore, the consumers answered questions regarding their attitudes concerning health, convenience and functional food. Sensory evaluation by a trained panel was performed on the meals using generic descriptive analysis. Mean scores for both meals were consistently in favor of health claim labels for all questions. Group differences in attitudes towards health, convenience and functional foods were not found significant. The results of this study will support functional food development and provide understanding on how receptive consumers are toward information conveyed by health claims.