An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods

Keerti Devi Bholah; Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods

Keerti Devi Bholah, Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun

Published in International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 2, Issue 2)

Published: 10 March 2013

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Abstract

During the past few decades, consumers have switched from an emphasis on satisfying hunger to an emphasis on the promising use of foods to promote well-being and to help reduce the risk of disease. This is particularly the case for the island of Mauritius where a variety of functional food products with different health claims have been observed in major supermarkets around the country. Since acceptance of functional foods depends largely on the awareness and perceptions of Mauritians regarding these foods, consumer research on functional foods remains vital. This study investigated the level of awareness and knowledge of Mauritian adults concerning functional foods and their purported health benefits. In addition, the perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods and their willingness to try functional foods were also studied. Information pertaining to knowledge, awareness, perceptions and interest regarding functional foods as well as so-cio-demographic characteristics were collected from a representative random sample of 384 Mauritian adults aged above 18 years. The survey was conducted in 8 supermarkets and shopping centres of Mauritius. The data indicated that though 85.5% of participants were aware of foods which may help in preventing certain diseases, only 13.8% of the sample population was familiar with the term ‘functional foods’. Pearson Chi-Square test indicated that awareness of functional foods was dependent on gender (p<0.05), age (p<0.01), level of education (p<0.01), monthly household income (p<0.01) and health status of respondent (p<0.01). Besides, perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods were relatively positive and 84.6% of them were willing to try functional foods in the future. The results indicated a relatively low level of awareness and knowledge concerning functional foods in Mauritius but also noted an interest of the consumers for these products.

Published in	International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 2, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
Page(s)	52-59
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2013. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Functional Foods, Awareness, Knowledge, Perceptions, Health Benefits

References

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APA Style

Keerti Devi Bholah, Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. (2013). An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 2(2), 52-59. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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ACS Style

Keerti Devi Bholah; Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2013, 2(2), 52-59. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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AMA Style

Keerti Devi Bholah, Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2013;2(2):52-59. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15,
  author = {Keerti Devi Bholah and Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun},
  title = {An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {52-59},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20130202.15},
  abstract = {During the past few decades, consumers have switched from an emphasis on satisfying hunger to an emphasis on the promising use of foods to promote well-being and to help reduce the risk of disease. This is particularly the case for the island of Mauritius where a variety of functional food products with different health claims have been observed in major supermarkets around the country. Since acceptance of functional foods depends largely on the awareness and perceptions of Mauritians regarding these foods, consumer research on functional foods remains vital. This study investigated the level of awareness and knowledge of Mauritian adults concerning functional foods and their purported health benefits. In addition, the perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods and their willingness to try functional foods were also studied. Information pertaining to knowledge, awareness, perceptions and interest regarding functional foods as well as so-cio-demographic characteristics were collected from a representative random sample of 384 Mauritian adults aged above 18 years. The survey was conducted in 8 supermarkets and shopping centres of Mauritius. The data indicated that though 85.5% of participants were aware of foods which may help in preventing certain diseases, only 13.8% of the sample population was familiar with the term ‘functional foods’. Pearson Chi-Square test indicated that awareness of functional foods was dependent on gender (p<0.05), age (p<0.01), level of education (p<0.01), monthly household income (p<0.01) and health status of respondent (p<0.01). Besides, perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods were relatively positive and 84.6% of them were willing to try functional foods in the future. The results indicated a relatively low level of awareness and knowledge concerning functional foods in Mauritius but also noted an interest of the consumers for these products.},
 year = {2013}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods
AU  - Keerti Devi Bholah
AU  - Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun
Y1  - 2013/03/10
PY  - 2013
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
T2  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
SP  - 52
EP  - 59
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2716
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
AB  - During the past few decades, consumers have switched from an emphasis on satisfying hunger to an emphasis on the promising use of foods to promote well-being and to help reduce the risk of disease. This is particularly the case for the island of Mauritius where a variety of functional food products with different health claims have been observed in major supermarkets around the country. Since acceptance of functional foods depends largely on the awareness and perceptions of Mauritians regarding these foods, consumer research on functional foods remains vital. This study investigated the level of awareness and knowledge of Mauritian adults concerning functional foods and their purported health benefits. In addition, the perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods and their willingness to try functional foods were also studied. Information pertaining to knowledge, awareness, perceptions and interest regarding functional foods as well as so-cio-demographic characteristics were collected from a representative random sample of 384 Mauritian adults aged above 18 years. The survey was conducted in 8 supermarkets and shopping centres of Mauritius. The data indicated that though 85.5% of participants were aware of foods which may help in preventing certain diseases, only 13.8% of the sample population was familiar with the term ‘functional foods’. Pearson Chi-Square test indicated that awareness of functional foods was dependent on gender (p<0.05), age (p<0.01), level of education (p<0.01), monthly household income (p<0.01) and health status of respondent (p<0.01). Besides, perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods were relatively positive and 84.6% of them were willing to try functional foods in the future. The results indicated a relatively low level of awareness and knowledge concerning functional foods in Mauritius but also noted an interest of the consumers for these products.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Keerti Devi Bholah

Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Republic of Mauritius
Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun

Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science and ANDI Centre of Excellence for Biomedical and Biomaterials Research, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Republic of Mauritius

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APA Style

Keerti Devi Bholah, Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. (2013). An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 2(2), 52-59. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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ACS Style

Keerti Devi Bholah; Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2013, 2(2), 52-59. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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AMA Style

Keerti Devi Bholah, Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2013;2(2):52-59. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15,
  author = {Keerti Devi Bholah and Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun},
  title = {An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {52-59},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20130202.15},
  abstract = {During the past few decades, consumers have switched from an emphasis on satisfying hunger to an emphasis on the promising use of foods to promote well-being and to help reduce the risk of disease. This is particularly the case for the island of Mauritius where a variety of functional food products with different health claims have been observed in major supermarkets around the country. Since acceptance of functional foods depends largely on the awareness and perceptions of Mauritians regarding these foods, consumer research on functional foods remains vital. This study investigated the level of awareness and knowledge of Mauritian adults concerning functional foods and their purported health benefits. In addition, the perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods and their willingness to try functional foods were also studied. Information pertaining to knowledge, awareness, perceptions and interest regarding functional foods as well as so-cio-demographic characteristics were collected from a representative random sample of 384 Mauritian adults aged above 18 years. The survey was conducted in 8 supermarkets and shopping centres of Mauritius. The data indicated that though 85.5% of participants were aware of foods which may help in preventing certain diseases, only 13.8% of the sample population was familiar with the term ‘functional foods’. Pearson Chi-Square test indicated that awareness of functional foods was dependent on gender (p<0.05), age (p<0.01), level of education (p<0.01), monthly household income (p<0.01) and health status of respondent (p<0.01). Besides, perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods were relatively positive and 84.6% of them were willing to try functional foods in the future. The results indicated a relatively low level of awareness and knowledge concerning functional foods in Mauritius but also noted an interest of the consumers for these products.},
 year = {2013}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods
AU  - Keerti Devi Bholah
AU  - Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun
Y1  - 2013/03/10
PY  - 2013
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
T2  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
SP  - 52
EP  - 59
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2716
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15
AB  - During the past few decades, consumers have switched from an emphasis on satisfying hunger to an emphasis on the promising use of foods to promote well-being and to help reduce the risk of disease. This is particularly the case for the island of Mauritius where a variety of functional food products with different health claims have been observed in major supermarkets around the country. Since acceptance of functional foods depends largely on the awareness and perceptions of Mauritians regarding these foods, consumer research on functional foods remains vital. This study investigated the level of awareness and knowledge of Mauritian adults concerning functional foods and their purported health benefits. In addition, the perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods and their willingness to try functional foods were also studied. Information pertaining to knowledge, awareness, perceptions and interest regarding functional foods as well as so-cio-demographic characteristics were collected from a representative random sample of 384 Mauritian adults aged above 18 years. The survey was conducted in 8 supermarkets and shopping centres of Mauritius. The data indicated that though 85.5% of participants were aware of foods which may help in preventing certain diseases, only 13.8% of the sample population was familiar with the term ‘functional foods’. Pearson Chi-Square test indicated that awareness of functional foods was dependent on gender (p<0.05), age (p<0.01), level of education (p<0.01), monthly household income (p<0.01) and health status of respondent (p<0.01). Besides, perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods were relatively positive and 84.6% of them were willing to try functional foods in the future. The results indicated a relatively low level of awareness and knowledge concerning functional foods in Mauritius but also noted an interest of the consumers for these products.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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