You eat what you are: Modern health worries and the acceptance of natural and synthetic additives in functional foods

There is an increasing array of functional foods available that are designed to confer health benefits. However, individuals’ worries about new technology and modernity may influence the acceptance of these products. In this study, we investigated how modern health worries influence attitudes and decisions about functional foods. We asked participants (n=390) to rate pictures of products with either added vitamins or added scientific compounds. Each product shown purported to have one of three possible targeted effects: to reduce the likelihood of a disease, to reduce a risk factor associated with a disease, or to improve personal appearance. We found levels of modern health worries to be significantly associated with participants’ reports of organic food consumption and presence of food allergies. Modern health worries were also significantly related to a preference for foods with natural as opposed to synthetic additives. Participants with higher levels of modern health worries had a greater acceptance of functional foods designed to reduce the likelihood of disease compared to participants with low modern health worries. Overall, the results suggested that modern health worries are an important psychological factor to consider with regards to attitudes toward functional foods.