A study of the association between health claims and consumers' willingness to purchase food products among the households of Head Start students

As consumers are aware of the link between health and diet, health claims become an effective vehicle to acknowledge the nutritional benefits of food. However, the messages being conveyed are not always accurate. This descriptive study identified the effect of nutrition/health claims on the perceived value of food by identifying the price premiums that consumers were willing to pay for these attributes. Adult subjects (N = 33), who are responsible for grocery shopping in the preschoolers' households, completed a printed survey adapted from previous studies. The survey of 33 common health attributes allowed respondents to rate their willingness to pay a premium that ranged from 0 -- 100 cents for each food attribute. Data collected were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics to identify which food attributes were valued most/least by respondents. Results suggested that almost all caregivers in these lower income households were willing to pay extra for the health attributes they valued. There were 19 of 33 attributes for which most caregivers were willing to pay >100 cents (highest WTP mode price premium). The attributes that were valued most were "Natural flavors," "Made from real or extract of vegetables/fruits," and "Low/no carbohydrate." This suggested that subjects link certain words such as natural with real and healthier food. Future studies should focus on effective education methods and clearer regulations to help the general public clarify the confusion regarding health claims.