Consumers' attitudes towards full-fat food products and their low-fat alternatives

Abstract

Understanding consumers' buying habits and motives for selecting high-fat products and their low-fat alternatives is useful in launching new reduced-fat food items. In order to collect information on the most commonly chosen fat-reduced products available on the Serbian market and identify motives for their consumption, a survey among 250 randomly selected consumers in Vojvodina, Serbia was conducted. The participants could have chosen between highand low-fat milk, yoghurt, margarine and mayonnaise and different statements referring the apprehension of these alternatives. The study also assessed the socio-demographic influence on motivation for choosing full- or low-fat food versions. The data were analysed using chi-square analysis. In contrast to mayonnaise, participants chose low-fat milk, yoghurt and margarine in preference to their full-fat version. The results also showed that taste was the infinitely preferable attribute for choice of full-fat food, while the healthiness factor was the most crucial for selection of low-fat products. Different age as well as educational level groups showed different preferences to taste, while the consumption of low-fat food due to healthiness was more frequent among women. The obtained results indicated the necessity to improve the taste of low- or reduced fat products in order to be competitive with its high-fat alternative.