Development and validation of multidimensional scale on Indian consumer's acceptance of functional food (FFS) - The sustainable option

This study addresses the potential of functional foods in India, a country where health and Ayurveda have always been of prime importance. Despite the acceptance of Ayurvedic knowledge, most research on functional foods has been conducted in European countries. Thus, this study aimed to fill this research gap by developing a culturally tailored measurement instrument, the Functional Food Scale (FFS), to understand the factors that lead to functional food acceptance in India. The FFS was developed through a process that included a literature review, netnography study, expert review, pilot study (n = 98), item purification study (n = 457), and a study to validate the constructs (n = 767). The final scale includes 10 dimensions: Health consciousness, Labels of FF, Purpose of FF, Hazards with FF, Confidence in FF, Food values, FF as a routine, FF as a medicine, Satisfaction with FF, and loyalty with FF. The satisfactory results of reliability, validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the final scale suggest that it can be effectively used to understand the consumer behavior of Indians towards functional foods. This study emphasizes the need for further research to explore the relationship between the factors affecting the acceptance of functional foods and other important food-related variables. The developed scale can benefit food manufacturing companies in developing consumer-oriented products by understanding the factors that influence the acceptance of functional foods in India.