ABSTRACT
Following well-designed research methodologies and adopting robust statistical analysis techniques, this chapter offers insights into some interrelated criteria for the acceptance of functional food (FF) by consumers (that is, healthiness, taste and price). Such criteria often confront one another to shape consumers’ decision making, which highlights one of the most common controversies in food marketing: healthiness versus taste and price. The results indicate that FF should deliver health benefits above and beyond standard (high) quality (for example, nice taste for the ‘right’ price) required by consumers for any common food product. However, careful tailoring of a successful marketing mix must consider that for specific healthiness–taste–price combinations, there are no winning or losing product attributes; in these contexts, real controversies do not seem to develop in consumers’ perceptions.
