Functional Food Market
Following the previous blog, this blog examines the functional food (FF) market , its target consumer segments and relevant issues . Indeed, despite the proven rapid increase in demand for FF ( Goetzke and Spiller, 2014 ) , the market is determined by various factors which make it highly dynamic . Evidently, Broring (2 010 , cited in Vicentini et al., 2016 ) identified three factors influencing consumers’ purchase decision-making: consumer characteristics, purchasing situation and product characteristics. To better understand these factors, further studies found that consumers are more likely to accept FF if there is valid and tangible evidence of consumer benefits ( Frewer et al., 1999) . This means it is crucial that FF suppliers can provide scientific data supporting their promotion of FF in ord er to have their consumers convinced , in which Di Pasquale et al. (2011) considered product labels and credible advertising campaigns as effective tools to influence consumers...