Examining Consumers' Perceptions of the Health Benefits of Products with Fiber Claims

Many foods, including margarines and sugary cereals that were once viewed as unhealthy, are being reformulated and repositioned as healthier. A number of companies have launched new products touting fiber. Critics express concern that the increased interest in fiber as a marketing claim is not necessarily a good thing for consumers because many companies are using isolated fiber that does not have all the health benefits as naturally occurring fiber. This research examines whether consumers understand information related to fiber claims by specifically examining their perceptions of the nutrition level and health benefits of products with these claims. Additionally, consumption frequency of these products and consumer knowledge about fiber is assessed. Direction for public policy is provided. ********** Modern food production has afforded consumers a tremendous amount of food choices. Recently, given the growing interest consumers have in maintaining healthy lifestyles, many foods promulgating heart-healthy benefits, good digestive health and increased energy levels are winning favor in the marketplace (Nielsen Media 2009). As a result, many foods, including margarines and sugary cereals that were once viewed as unhealthy, are being reformulated and repositioned as healthier alternatives. The industry calls these products "nutraceuticals" or "functional foods," which are foods purported to have health-promoting or disease-preventing properties (Marchione 2009). For example, a number of companies have added fiber to their existing products or launched new products touting fiber. In 2009, 6.5% of new foods included fiber-enriched claims (Horovitz 2009). This is an increase of almost 65% since 2005 (Packaged Facts 2010). Currently, these foods account for more than $27 billion in sales a year and future growth is expected to range from 8.5% to 20% per year (Marchione 2009). However, as food products have grown in complexity, the call for consumer education has become even more paramount. Critics express concern that consumers may not be fully aware of the content of foods touting fiber and that the increased interest in fiber as a marketing claim is not necessarily a good thing because many companies are using isolated fiber (Wong 2009). Isolated fiber is extracted from food sources or created synthetically and then added to food products that often do not have fiber. With isolated fiber, the fiber is no longer intact. Although there is some evidence that isolated fiber offers health benefits such as increasing regularity, it is not thought to lower blood sugar of cholesterol (Raninen et al. 2011). Further, consumers do not necessarily understand the different types of fiber or the health benefits offered by each type. Moreover, many of these products using isolated fiber may have more sugar, fat and salt added to increase their palatability. There is also concern that demand for these products can be muddled by a halo effect where consumers eat more of a product because they think it is healthy (Wansink and Chandon 2006). Given this concern, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has considered possible criteria that manufacturers might have to adhere to in order to use front-of-package symbols and claims (FDA 2008). Research has examined the effects of the use of nutrient claims on packaging, including low-carbohydrate claims (Kemp et al. 2007), trans-fat claims (Howlett, Burton, and Kozup 2008), pictorial representations of health claims (Viswanathan, Hastak, and Gau 2009), the provision of nutrition information in restaurant settings (Burton, Howlett, and Tangari 2009) as well as consumer knowledge about the health benefits of certain nutrients (Ippolito and Mathios 1991). Although there has been considerable research conducted on nutritional labeling, limited research has examined consumers' perceptions of the health benefits as well as consumption levels for products that bear fiber claims. …