Factors influencing European consumer uptake of personalised nutrition. Results of a qualitative analysis

• Published in: Appetite 2013-07, Vol.66, p.67-74
• Main Authors: Stewart-Knox, Barbara, Kuznesof, Sharron, Robinson, Jenny, Rankin, Audrey, Orr, Karen, Duffy, Maresa, Poínhos, Rui, de Almeida, Maria Daniel Vaz, Macready, Anna, Gallagher, Caroline, Berezowska, Aleksandra, Fischer, Arnout R.H., Navas-Carretero, Santiago, Riemer, Martina, Traczyk, Iwona, Gjelstad, Ingrid M.F., Mavrogianni, Christina, Frewer, Lynn J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptance; Adolescent; Adult; adults; Age Distribution; Aged; attitudes; Barriers; benefits; blood sampling; Consumer; consumer attitudes; Consumer Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Diet - methods; Diet - statistics & numerical data; Europe; Female; focus; Focus group; Focus Groups; food; Food4Me; genetic research; hazards; Health Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Internet; lifestyle; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrigenomics; Nutrigenomics - methods; Nutrigenomics - statistics & numerical data; nutrition; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; perceptions; Personalised nutrition; Qualitative; qualitative analysis; risks; Sex Distribution; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.03.001

•Consumer perceptions of personalised nutrition explored in eight European countries.•Personalised nutrition perceived as beneficial to health and fitness.•Barriers to uptake linked to broad technological and regulatory issues.•Perceived risk associated with personalised nutrition did not emerge as an issue. The aim of this research was to explore consumer perceptions of personalised nutrition and to compare these across three different levels of “medicalization”: lifestyle assessment (no blood sampling); phenotypic assessment (blood sampling); genomic assessment (blood and buccal sampling). The protocol was developed from two pilot focus groups conducted in the UK. Two focus groups (one comprising only “older” individuals between 30 and 60years old, the other of adults 18–65yrs of age) were run in the UK, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Germany (N=16). The analysis (guided using grounded theory) suggested that personalised nutrition was perceived in terms of benefit to health and fitness and that convenience was an important driver of uptake. Negative attitudes were associated with internet delivery but not with personalised nutrition per se. Barriers to uptake were linked to broader technological issues associated with data protection, trust in regulator and service providers. Services that required a fee were expected to be of better quality and more secure. An efficacious, transparent and trustworthy regulatory framework for personalised nutrition is required to alleviate consumer concern. In addition, developing trust in service providers is important if such services to be successful.