Survey of Government Regulators, Consumer Awareness and Consumption Behaviors of Healthy Food in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Su-Lin Lee, 李淑玲
• Other Authors: Cheng-Ming Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 1999
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/69573576732281145020

碩士 === 國立海洋大學 === 食品科學系 === 87 === The purposes of this study are to collect marketing and regulatory information of health food from United State, Japan, and People’s Republic of China and compare with Taiwan. The second is to understand consumer’s awareness and consumption behavior toward health food and to analyze the potential dominants. Thus, from field study that one might possible to understand the “missing gaps” among governmental regulatory agencies, health food merchants, and consumers. Primary data were collected and statistically analyzed from questionnaire distributed by convenience sampling procedures. A total of 600 questionnaires were mailed to consumers living either within cities or suburban areas. The responding rate was 83.7%. Results suggested that there was a very significant difference in the regulatory system regarding to health food certification and verification procedures among United States and Taiwan. For Taiwan, the certification process containing documents with sound scientific research data to support functional claims and safety guards of the products. Thus, offers reasonable product assurance and safety to consumers. For most consumers, the major information resources of health foods are by “word of mouth” from relatives and friends, next to doctor, newspaper, and ads in magazine, books, and drug stores. Moreover, most of the consumers brought their “health foods” from neighborhood drug stores. Order of importance of promotional activities of health food to stimulate buying behavior was cash discount, quantity bonus, favorite publicity, and informative speeches. Purposes of taking health foods regularly were as nutrient supplements, immuno-strengthening, physical strength enhancement or restoration, prevent seniority, osteoporosis, skin care, and digestive system betterment. And important factors for purchasing decision making were nature, no side effect, government certified, sound labeling, and manufacturers’ reputations. There were, however, some misleading information that were prevailed among users, such as over 50% of the consumers believed that health food hold therapeutic effect in either cure or prevent specific disease. On the other hand, most of the consumers lack of knowledge to understand how regulatory system works in protecting them and where to file legal complains or claims against abused market conducts, safety and sanitation quality defects, and the pricing issues of health food. This study also showed that some consumer traits had significant influence on their tendency toward buying or using health foods. These were awareness of one’s health status, patients suffered with chronic diseases, income status, used as a medical substitute, living areas, preference of manufacturing origin, and understanding of health food labeling regulations. Furthermore, users that differentiated from non-users were characterized by having family income over 100,000, living in city, worrying about one’s health condition, believing imported products were superior than local products, and recognizing governmental certified logo.