Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply
Iron deficiency is still widespread as a major health problem even in countries with adequate food supply. It mainly affects women but also vegans, vegetarians, and athletes and can lead to various clinical pictures. Biofortification of vitamin C-rich vegetables with iron may be one new approach to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/10/2291 |
| _version_ | 1797598787500244992 |
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| author | Ann-Kristin Welk Clara Mehlhose Diemo Daum Ulrich Enneking |
| author_facet | Ann-Kristin Welk Clara Mehlhose Diemo Daum Ulrich Enneking |
| author_sort | Ann-Kristin Welk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Iron deficiency is still widespread as a major health problem even in countries with adequate food supply. It mainly affects women but also vegans, vegetarians, and athletes and can lead to various clinical pictures. Biofortification of vitamin C-rich vegetables with iron may be one new approach to face this nutritional challenge. However, so far, little is known about the consumer acceptance of iron-biofortified vegetables, particularly in developed countries. To address this issue, a quantitative survey of 1000 consumers in Germany was conducted. The results showed that depending on the type of vegetable, between 54% and 79% of the respondents were interested in iron-biofortified vegetables. Regression analysis showed a relationship between product acceptance, gender, and area of residence. In addition, relationships were found between consumer preferences for enjoyment, sustainability, and naturalness. Compared to functional food and dietary supplements, 77% of respondents would prefer fresh iron-rich vegetables to improve their iron intake. For a market launch, those iron-rich vegetables appear especially promising, which can additionally be advertised with claims for being rich in vitamin C and cultivated in an environmentally friendly way. Consumers were willing to pay EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.20 more for the iron-biofortified vegetables. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:26:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b097c5cf864242c092844ccb3918c3fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:26:41Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-b097c5cf864242c092844ccb3918c3fc2023-11-18T02:44:18ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432023-05-011510229110.3390/nu15102291Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron SupplyAnn-Kristin Welk0Clara Mehlhose1Diemo Daum2Ulrich Enneking3Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Am Krümpel 31, 49090 Osnabrück, GermanyMarketing of Agricultural and Food Products, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 5, 37073 Göttingen, GermanyFaculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Am Krümpel 31, 49090 Osnabrück, GermanyFaculty of Agricultural Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Am Krümpel 31, 49090 Osnabrück, GermanyIron deficiency is still widespread as a major health problem even in countries with adequate food supply. It mainly affects women but also vegans, vegetarians, and athletes and can lead to various clinical pictures. Biofortification of vitamin C-rich vegetables with iron may be one new approach to face this nutritional challenge. However, so far, little is known about the consumer acceptance of iron-biofortified vegetables, particularly in developed countries. To address this issue, a quantitative survey of 1000 consumers in Germany was conducted. The results showed that depending on the type of vegetable, between 54% and 79% of the respondents were interested in iron-biofortified vegetables. Regression analysis showed a relationship between product acceptance, gender, and area of residence. In addition, relationships were found between consumer preferences for enjoyment, sustainability, and naturalness. Compared to functional food and dietary supplements, 77% of respondents would prefer fresh iron-rich vegetables to improve their iron intake. For a market launch, those iron-rich vegetables appear especially promising, which can additionally be advertised with claims for being rich in vitamin C and cultivated in an environmentally friendly way. Consumers were willing to pay EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.20 more for the iron-biofortified vegetables.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/10/2291dietary supplementsfunctional foodiron biofortificationtarget group analysisvitamin Cwillingness to purchase |
| spellingShingle | Ann-Kristin Welk Clara Mehlhose Diemo Daum Ulrich Enneking Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply Nutrients dietary supplements functional food iron biofortification target group analysis vitamin C willingness to purchase |
| title | Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply |
| title_full | Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply |
| title_fullStr | Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply |
| title_short | Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability—German Consumers’ Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply |
| title_sort | vegetables with enhanced iron bioavailability german consumers perceptions of a new approach to improve dietary iron supply |
| topic | dietary supplements functional food iron biofortification target group analysis vitamin C willingness to purchase |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/10/2291 |
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