Consumer acceptance and consumption of functional foods. An attempt of comparison between Italy and Germany

Food is considered as the main source of well-being for consumers, primarily due to increased awareness of the relationship between food health and well-being. In this scenario, companies realize investments in research and development for the production of functional foods that are able to improve the health of individuals and to reduce the risk of disease. A survey was carried out to investigate consumer attitudes to functional foods and the level of knowledge about these products by comparing two regions that are similar in morphological and demographic aspects but very different in cultural terms. One of the survey areas is in Germany and the other in Italy. In these two areas we administered a questionnaire through the technique of snowball sampling to analyze the knowledge of these products by consumers, the confidence in their beneficial properties and the propensity to consume. The data collected underwent multiple correspondence analysis and cluster analysis. The results from the analysis of the two samples (Italian and German) provide evidence for the importance of information to develop the market for functional foods. The results suggest interesting managerial implications for companies as well as policy implications for specific interventions to promote healthy eating among consumers.