German Consumers’ Attitude towards Selenium-Biofortified Apples and Acceptance of Related Nutrition and Health Claims
Osnabrueck University of Applied Sciences, Am Kruempel 31, 49090 Osnabrueck, Germany
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Nutrients 2018, 10(2), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020190
Received: 22 December 2017
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Revised: 31 January 2018
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Accepted: 6 February 2018
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Published: 9 February 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selenium and Selenoproteins in Environment, Health and Disease)
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.
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Keywords:
selenium; apples; nutrition and health claims; functional food; supplements; consumer acceptance
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MDPI and ACS Style
Wortmann, L.; Enneking, U.; Daum, D. German Consumers’ Attitude towards Selenium-Biofortified Apples and Acceptance of Related Nutrition and Health Claims. Nutrients 2018, 10, 190. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020190
AMA Style
Wortmann L, Enneking U, Daum D. German Consumers’ Attitude towards Selenium-Biofortified Apples and Acceptance of Related Nutrition and Health Claims. Nutrients. 2018; 10(2):190. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020190
Chicago/Turabian StyleWortmann, Lena, Ulrich Enneking, and Diemo Daum. 2018. "German Consumers’ Attitude towards Selenium-Biofortified Apples and Acceptance of Related Nutrition and Health Claims" Nutrients 10, no. 2: 190. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020190
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