Functional foods in Finland. Consumers ́ views, attitudes and willingness to use

New kinds of foods, so-called functional foods, have been developed and launched in recent years. They provide a novel approach to the idea of healthy eating by linking a single component with a certain health benefit in a single product. However, comprehensive knowledge on the dimensions behind the acceptance of functional foods is lacking and there is no clear understanding of the consumer’s perceptions of single functional foods. In addition, it is not known how the dimensions describing functional foods in consumers’ minds could explain consumers' willingness to use such foods. The general aim of this study was to investigate how functional foods are perceived in Finland, what kinds of dimensions underlie the acceptance of functional foods among Finns and could these dimensions be used as a tool in explaining consumers’ willingness to use such foods. Seven data sets involving 4536 Finnish participants were included in this study between 1999 and 2004. As the health effects attached to food products cannot be perceived directly from the product itself, they have to be communicated to consumers. Usually, socalled health-related claims are used. The perception of different types of healthrelated claims, varying in their intensities, was studied by a survey (n = 958) in which respondents evaluated the perceived disadvantages/advantages of eight health-related claims. All claims were seen as advantages regardless the intensity level of the claim. Women and respondents who trusted the sources of food information reacted more positively towards the claims than men and nontrusting respondents, respectively. However, none of these groups viewed the claims negatively. Next, the reasons behind choosing or not choosing six functional foods were studied by laddering interviews (n = 50). The functional food products were not