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Perception of Health Claims Among Nordic Consumers

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Abstract

Health claim perception was investigated by a web-based instrument with a sample of 4,612 respondents in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden). Respondents decided which of a pair of claims sounded better, was easier to understand and was more convincing in their opinion. Claims were constructed from an underlying universe combining different active ingredients (familiar, unfamiliar), type of claim (combination of information about ingredient, physiological function and health benefit), framing (positive, negative), and use of qualifier (with, without “may”). Across pairs, the claims differed in the health benefit addressed (cardiovascular health, dementia, bodyweight). Results showed that respondents could be grouped into two roughly equally sized classes that differed in the type of claim preferred: one class prefers “long” claims that give the full story consisting of active ingredient, physiological function and health benefit, whereas the other prefers “short” claims consisting of the health benefit only. Results also showed that the familiar ingredient is preferred to the unfamiliar one, whereas effects of positive versus negative framing depended on the type of health benefit addressed.

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Notes

  1. Based on official statistics from www.statbank.dk, www.stat.fi, www.statice.is, www.ssb.no, and www.scb.se.

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Acknowledgement

This work has been financially supported by ACCLAIM: Consumer acceptance and trust: Recommendations for using health claims in marketing—a project funded by Nordic Innovations Centre (NICe).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MAPP Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector, Aarhus University, Haslegaardsvej 10, 8210, Aarhus V, Denmark

    Klaus G. Grunert & Liisa Lähteenmäki

  2. VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland, PL1500, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland

    Piritta Lampila

  3. Matis, Skulagata 4, 101, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Emilia Martinsdóttir

  4. NOFIMA Mat, Osloveien 1, 1430 Ås, Stavanger, Norway

    Øydis Ueland

  5. SIK, Box 5401, 402 29, Göteborg, Sweden

    Annika Åström

  6. MAPP Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector, Aarhus School of Business, Aarhus University, Haslegaardsvej 10, 8210, Aarhus V, Denmark

    Klaus G. Grunert

  7. Georg-August University Göttingen, Department of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 3, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    Yasemin Boztug

Authors
  1. Klaus G. Grunert
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  2. Liisa Lähteenmäki
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  3. Yasemin Boztug
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  4. Emilia Martinsdóttir
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  5. Øydis Ueland
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  6. Annika Åström
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  7. Piritta Lampila
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Klaus G. Grunert.

Appendix: List of claims

Appendix: List of claims

Helps to keep arteries clean.

Reduces blocking of arteries.

May help to keep arteries clean.

May reduce blocking of arteries.

Promotes cardiovascular health.

Reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases.

May promote cardiovascular health.

May reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains omega-3 which helps to keep arteries clean.

Contains omega-3 which reduces blocking of arteries.

Contains omega-3 which may help to keep arteries clean.

Contains omega-3 which may reduce blocking of arteries.

Contains omega-3 which promotes cardiovascular health.

Contains omega-3 which reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains omega-3 which may promote cardiovascular health.

Contains omega-3 which may reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Helps to keep arteries clean and therefore promotes cardiovascular health.

Reduces blocking of arteries and therefore reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases.

May help to keep arteries clean and therefore promote cardiovascular health.

May reduce blocking of arteries and therefore reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains omega-3 which helps to keep arteries clean and therefore promotes cardiovascular health.

Contains omega-3 which reduces blocking of arteries and therefore reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains omega-3 which may help to keep arteries clean and therefore promote cardiovascular health.

Contains omega-3 which may reduce blocking of arteries and therefore reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains bioactive peptides which help to keep arteries clean.

Contains bioactive peptides which reduce blocking of arteries.

Contains bioactive peptides which may help to keep arteries clean.

Contains bioactive peptides which may reduce blocking of arteries.

Contains bioactive peptides which promote cardiovascular health.

Contains bioactive peptides which reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains bioactive peptides which may promote cardiovascular health.

Contains bioactive peptides which may reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains bioactive peptides which help to keep arteries clean and therefore promote cardiovascular health.

Contains bioactive peptides which reduce blocking of arteries and therefore reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Contains bioactive peptides which may help to keep arteries clean and therefore promote cardiovascular health.

Contains bioactive peptides which may reduce blocking of arteries and therefore reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Enhances the memory function.

Delays decreasing memory function.

May enhance the memory function.

May delay decreasing memory function.

Increases the likelihood of a good memory.

Reduces the risk of dementia.

May increase the likelihood of a good memory.

May reduce the risk of dementia.

Contains omega-3 which enhances the memory function.

Contains omega-3 which delays decreasing memory function.

Contains omega-3 which may enhance the memory function.

Contains omega-3 which may delay decreasing memory function.

Contains omega-3 which increases the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains omega-3 which reduces the risk of dementia.

Contains omega-3 which may increase the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains omega-3 which may reduce the risk of dementia.

Enhances the memory function and therefore increases the likelihood of a good memory.

Delays decreasing memory function and therefore reduces the risk of dementia.

May enhance the memory function and therefore increase the likelihood of a good memory.

May delay decreasing memory function and therefore reduce the risk of dementia.

Contains omega-3 which enhances the memory function and therefore increases the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains omega-3 which delays decreasing memory function and therefore reduces the risk of dementia.

Contains omega-3 which may enhance the memory function and therefore increase the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains omega-3 which may delay decreasing memory function and therefore reduce the risk of dementia.

Contains bioactive peptides which enhance the memory function.

Contains bioactive peptides which delay decreasing memory function.

Contains bioactive peptides which may enhance the memory function.

Contains bioactive peptides which may delay decreasing memory function.

Contains bioactive peptides which increase the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains bioactive peptides which reduce the risk of dementia.

Contains bioactive peptides which may increase the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains bioactive peptides which may reduce the risk of dementia.

Contains bioactive peptides which enhance the memory function and therefore increase the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains bioactive peptides which delay decreasing memory function and therefore reduce the risk of dementia.

Contains bioactive peptides which may enhance the memory function and therefore increase the likelihood of a good memory.

Contains bioactive peptides which may delay decreasing memory function and therefore reduce the risk of dementia.

Prolongs the feeling of satiety.

Delays recurrence of hunger feelings.

May prolong the feeling of satiety.

May delay recurrence of hunger feelings.

Helps to maintain bodyweight.

Lowers the risk of gaining weight.

May help to maintain bodyweight.

May lower the risk of gaining weight.

Contains omega-3 which prolongs the feeling of satiety.

Contains omega-3 which delays recurrence of hunger feelings.

Contains omega-3 which may prolong the feeling of satiety.

Contains omega-3 which may delay recurrence of hunger feelings.

Contains omega-3 which helps to maintain bodyweight.

Contains omega-3 which lowers the risk of gaining weight.

Contains omega-3 which may help to maintain bodyweight.

Contains omega-3 which may lower the risk of gaining weight.

Prolongs the feeling of satiety and therefore helps to maintain bodyweight.

Delays recurrence of hunger feelings and therefore lowers the risk of gaining weight.

May prolong the feeling of satiety and therefore help to maintain bodyweight.

May delay recurrence of hunger feelings and therefore lower the risk of gaining weight.

Contains omega-3 which prolongs the feeling of satiety and therefore helps to maintain bodyweight.

Contains omega-3 which delays recurrence of hunger feelings and therefore lowers the risk of gaining weight.

Contains omega-3 which may prolong the feeling of satiety and therefore help to maintain bodyweight.

Contains omega-3 which may delay recurrence of hunger feelings and therefore lower the risk of gaining weight.

Contains bioactive peptides which prolong the feeling of satiety.

Contains bioactive peptides which delay recurrence of hunger feelings.

Contains bioactive peptides which may prolong the feeling of satiety.

Contains bioactive peptides which may delay recurrence of hunger feelings.

Contains bioactive peptides which help to maintain bodyweight.

Contains bioactive peptides which lower the risk of gaining weight.

Contains bioactive peptides which may help to maintain bodyweight.

Contains bioactive peptides which may lower the risk of gaining weight.

Contains bioactive peptides which prolong the feeling of satiety and therefore help to maintain bodyweight.

Contains bioactive peptides which delay recurrence of hunger feelings and therefore lower the risk of gaining weight.

Contains bioactive peptides which may prolong the feeling of satiety and therefore help to maintain bodyweight.

Contains bioactive peptides which may delay recurrence of hunger feelings and therefore lower the risk of gaining weight.

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Grunert, K.G., Lähteenmäki, L., Boztug, Y. et al. Perception of Health Claims Among Nordic Consumers. J Consum Policy 32, 269–287 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-009-9110-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-009-9110-0

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