Consumers' willingness to buy functional foods. The influence of carrier, benefit and trust.

The goal of the present study was to examine factors that influence willingness to buy functional foods. Data were collected from a representative mail survey in Switzerland (n=249). Results suggest that consumers are more inclined to buy functional foods with physiological health claims compared with psychological health claims. Health claims were most positively evaluated when attached to a product with a positive health image. Results further show that participants who have trust in the food industry are more likely to buy functional foods compared with participants who do not have trust in the food industry. Older consumers were more interested in functional foods than younger consumers.