<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0011_s_006">
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Reducing the salt, sugar and fat content of food is recognised worldwide as one of the strategies available for reducing the incidence of obesity and non-communicable diseases. The food industry has a major influence on achieving these goals by preserving intrinsic (chemical and sensory properties) and modifying extrinsic (food packaging and other external information) food attributes that can influence purchasing decisions. This article is a literature review of studies that analyse the influence of intrinsic and/or extrinsic attributes on consumer product preference and purchasing decisions.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0011_s_007">
<h3>Methods</h3>
<p>A keyword search for relevant studies was conducted using Web of Science, an interdisciplinary electronic resource. Articles from other sources were also included and systematically reviewed.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0011_s_008">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>The search string identified 266 results. Thirty-eight articles were included in the final analysis and coded according to intrinsic and extrinsic food attributes, reformulated nutrient, food category, condition, research methods, consumer response, study location and sample size. There are several authors investigating the effect of intrinsic rather than extrinsic product attributes. Most research deals with processed foods in the category of milk and dairy products, followed by sweetened fruit juices, meat products, sweets and bread. Salt content is the attribute most often reduced, followed by sugar and fat.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2021-0011_s_009">
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>Consumers find it hard to swap potential health benefits for hedonic attributes. When evaluating products in expected conditions, they usually rate the reformulated product more highly than the conventional one, while in informed conditions they usually choose the regular product. When products are labelled with a traffic light or nutritional warnings, consumers opt for a reformulated product, even in informed conditions. This review highlights the heterogeneity between food groups, and the fact that many factors influence consumers’ product preferences and purchasing decisions. The product should be analysed as a whole and tested in blind, expected and informed conditions, as each individual factor represents a phase of the consumer purchasing decision. The extent of nutrient reduction should be determined by calculating the difference threshold, and the industry should reformulate products gradually based on how consumers detect the reduction.</p></sec>
</abstract>

Introduction
Reducing the salt, sugar and fat content of food is recognised worldwide as one of the strategies available for reducing the incidence of obesity and non-communicable diseases. The food industry has a major influence on achieving these goals by preserving intrinsic (chemical and sensory properties) and modifying extrinsic (food packaging and other external information) food attributes that can influence purchasing decisions. This article is a literature review of studies that analyse the influence of intrinsic and/or extrinsic attributes on consumer product preference and purchasing decisions.

Methods
A keyword search for relevant studies was conducted using Web of Science, an interdisciplinary electronic resource. Articles from other sources were also included and systematically reviewed.

Results
The search string identified 266 results. Thirty-eight articles were included in the final analysis and coded according to intrinsic and extrinsic food attributes, reformulated nutrient, food category, condition, research methods, consumer response, study location and sample size. There are several authors investigating the effect of intrinsic rather than extrinsic product attributes. Most research deals with processed foods in the category of milk and dairy products, followed by sweetened fruit juices, meat products, sweets and bread. Salt content is the attribute most often reduced, followed by sugar and fat.

Conclusions
Consumers find it hard to swap potential health benefits for hedonic attributes. When evaluating products in expected conditions, they usually rate the reformulated product more highly than the conventional one, while in informed conditions they usually choose the regular product. When products are labelled with a traffic light or nutritional warnings, consumers opt for a reformulated product, even in informed conditions. This review highlights the heterogeneity between food groups, and the fact that many factors influence consumers’ product preferences and purchasing decisions. The product should be analysed as a whole and tested in blind, expected and informed conditions, as each individual factor represents a phase of the consumer purchasing decision. The extent of nutrient reduction should be determined by calculating the difference threshold, and the industry should reformulate products gradually based on how consumers detect the reduction.

Influence of intrinsic and extrinsic food attributes on consumers’ acceptance of reformulated food products: A systematic review

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Vpliv notranjih in zunanjih lastnosti preoblikovanih živil na sprejemljivost med potrošniki: Sistematični pregled literature

Introduction
Reducing the salt, sugar and fat content of food is recognised worldwide as one of the strategies available for reducing the incidence of obesity...

Food category	Reduced nutrient	Food product	No of studies
Dairy products	salt, fat	cheese, dairy drink, yoghurt, quark, butter	15
Soft drinks	sugar	cola, sweetened fruit juices, tomato juice	7
Sweet snacks	sugar, salt, fat	biscuits, chocolate, bars, muffins, M&M sweets	7
Meat products	salt, fat	sausages, frankfurters, ham, burgers	7
Bread	salt	bread	5
Soups	salt	instant/dehydrated chicken soup, tomato soup, vegetable soup	3
Salty snacks	salt	chips	2
Fruits and vegetables	salt, sugar	jam, canned beans, pickles	2
Other	fat	fat spread	1

Influence of intrinsic and extrinsic food attributes on consumers’ acceptance of reformulated food products: A systematic review

Article Category: Review Article

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Page range: 72 - 78

Received: Jul 03, 2020

Accepted: Nov 23, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2021-0011

Keywords
reformulation, intrinsic attributes, extrinsic attributes, informed conditions, blind conditions, expected conditions

© 2021 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Overview of studies by food category and nutrient reduction.

Influence of intrinsic and extrinsic food attributes on consumers’ acceptance of reformulated food products: A systematic review

Article Category: Review Article

Published Online: Dec 31, 2020

Page range: 72 - 78

Received: Jul 03, 2020

Accepted: Nov 23, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2021-0011

Keywordsreformulation, intrinsic attributes, extrinsic attributes, informed conditions, blind conditions, expected conditions

© 2021 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Figure 1

Overview of studies by food category and nutrient reduction.

Keywords
reformulation, intrinsic attributes, extrinsic attributes, informed conditions, blind conditions, expected conditions