Understanding consumers’ willingness to use omega-3 enriched eggs

One of the most important consumer trends in the food sector is the increasing popularity of nutritionally enriched food product consumption, especially omega-3 enriched foods. This study examines the consumers’ willingness to consume omega-3 enriched eggs and applies the Health Belief Model (hereinafter: HBM). An online survey was conducted on a representative sample of 524 Croatian consumers who do grocery shopping for their households and purchase eggs. The data was collected from a representative panel using quota sampling by gender and age and analyzed using SEM by Partial Least Square. The results show that almost 3/4 of the respondents do not know what omega-3 enriched eggs are. The perceived benefits, selfefficacy, cue to action and health motivation have a positive impact on the willingness to use omega-3 enriched eggs.Contrarily, the effects of threat perception variables (perceived severity and perceived susceptibility) and barriers on the willingness to use omega-3 enriched eggs are not significant.The results could support the efforts of the producers and the authorities to develop strategies that promote the consumption of omega-3 enriched foods, especially eggs.

Keywords: ; functional foods; omega-3 enriched eggs; consumers; health belief model

Marina Tomic Maksan, Željka Mesic, Branka Šakic Bobic, Damir Kovacic, Andreas C. Drichoutis, Understanding consumers’ willingness to use omega-3 enriched eggs in "Economia agro-alimentare" 1/2025, pp 135-189, DOI: 10.3280/ecag2025oa18685