Consumers Preferences for Presence-Focused Nutrition Claims in China

Abstract

Highlighting the nutritional value through front-of-package nutrition labels is an effective way to make healthier food products stand out in order to attract consumers. However, there is a lack of discussion on presence-focused nutrition claim (e.g., ‘high in calcium’) compared to absence-focused nutrition claim (e.g., ‘reduced fat’), but the former may be more appealing when making food choices. This study aimed to identify the effects of front-of-pack nutrition content claims (‘source of’, ‘high in’) for protein, calcium, omega-3 and vitamin D on Chinese consumers' willingness to pay for milk products. The random parameter logit model reveals that nutrition content claims about calcium led to greater acceptance and willingness to pay for the product, followed by omega-3, protein and vitamin D. The claim ‘high in’ was more attractive than ‘source of’ for all nutrients considered. The latent class model identified four consumer groups based on their nutritional preferences, with heterogeneity explained by psychological factor and actual food intake. In light of these results, strategies emphasizing the calcium content of milk products or targeting ‘high in’ buyers are proposed.