Functional Food Acceptance in India: Socio-Demographic and Lifestyle Determinants

Abstract

Lifestyle changes and poor eating habit augmented the development of diseases like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain type of cancer as never before in the developing countries particularly in India. The present paper aims to assess the socio-demographic and lifestyle factors on the functional food products acceptance in India. Foods developed to improve health or to reduce the risk of diseases are known as functional foods. This conceptual paper presents a comprehensive review of the previous research studies. Based on the extensive review of literature this research study has tried to identify and evaluate the consumer’s views of functional foods in the light of their socio-demographic and lifestyle background. Applying the underlying tenets of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Health Belief Model, this research paper has developed a functional food acceptance model that incorporated functional food products acceptance at the individual or personal level. Understanding the consumer behavior and its various determinants is very important in marketing particularly in positioning a novel product in a highly competitive consumer market. The model developed in the present study will be useful for the marketing managers to make appropriate strategies to win the prospects and the study will also help the health policy makers to develop the necessary programs to improve the public health through promoting the functional food market in the country.