engleski

Functional Food in Croatia: Consumers’ Perception and Legal Aspects

Foods that provide benefits either due to their chemical components or due to the addition of a healthy ingredients, or living microorganisms, are usually described as "functional foods". These foods are specifically selected because of their influence on health. Certain food ingredients, including living microorganisms or their constituents, influence body functions as well as reduce risk of chronic illnesses and debilitating diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis and non-insulin dependent diabetes. Although there is no unique definition of functional food, it can be shortly described as any fresh or processed food claimed to have a health-promoting and/or disease-preventing property beyond the basic nutritional function of supplying nutrients. Functional food is becoming more interesting in terms of market share and knowing that the food industry companies have some expectations regarding functional food and profit coming from it, it was a good reason to find out if the consumers in Croatia are familiar with the idea of functional food. The objective of this study is to explore the consumers’ perception of functional food in Croatia and to explore the regulatory framework for functional food. Although there are market research studies in Croatia regarding consumers’ perceptions of different foods, neither of them is oriented to the consumers’ perception of functional food and legal aspects thereof. There is an evident lack of information in this field. Framework for basic group of consumers is made of examinees from institutions. The basic group is, therefore, not representative of functional food consumers in Croatia but it is highly qualified for reviewing different aspects of functional food as a complex product. In this study was used a convenience/opportunity sample and the data were collected using a self-administrated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) designed to assess opinion about functional food. Interviewed individuals were of both genders aged from 19 to 65 with different education level. Stratification of the units from the sample has been made on the sample (N>250). Stratification of the sample has been made according to gender, age and educational structure as well as social-economic status of respondents. Results have shown that the familiarity with functional food depends on the general health orientation of the consumers, and the general health orientation varies systematically as a function of age, gender and education level. The Food Act in Croatia was enacted for the first time in July 2003. A revision of the food legislation in Croatia was required in order to harmonise food control with EU systems. After that, the law was amended in 2004 (OG 48/04) and in 2006 (OG 85/06). Finally, in 2007, new Food Act, in line with EU General Food Law, came into force. The stipulations of Food Act are applicable to all foods. In addition, there is the Ordinance on the labelling, advertising and presentation of foodstuffs also applicable to all foods but containing some rules especially for functional food. At this time, a regulatory framework for functional food does not exist. The rules that have to be applied depend on the nature of foods.

functional food; market; consumers; Croatia; food act

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