Importance of information on fermented dairy beverages on choices of specific consumers

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly interested in healthy eating and, consequently, in knowing what they consume. The information contained on the labels can be decisive in their choices. This paper aims to understand how the information on the labels of fermented milk beverages will affect consumers’ choices and whether lifestyle and consumption habits affect their choices. For this, a choice-based conjoint analysis with four factors was applied: sugar/sweetener (no added sugar, sweetened with sucralose, sweetened with stevia, no information), lactose (zero lactose, no information), fats (fat-free, no information), proteins (source of protein, with Whey Protein, no information). A questionnaire was completed by 1384 participants who had to choose one of four labels presented simultaneously and answered socioeconomic questions and questions about lifestyle and consumption habits. The results show that the interactions “sweetened with sucralose, no information about lactose and fats, and source of proteins” and “sweetened with stevia and no information about lactose, fats, and proteins” were statistically significant, presenting negative or positive utilities depending on the studied group. The “sugar/sweetener” factor showed the highest aggregate importance to most groups. Thus, the information on the labels affects the choices of specific consumers according to their lifestyles.

Highlights

Introduction

Consumers are increasingly interested in healthy eating and, consequently, in knowing what they consume. The information available on the labels can be decisive for the choice of consumers, who feel greater empowerment in decision-making when they receive information about their options (Ahn et al., 2015). According to Jaeger et al. (2023), one of the strategies to change consumer choice is to use extrinsic variables, such as labeling, packaging, and product information. Food choice is a complex process that involves many factors, such as sensory characteristics, brand, price, and packaging (Eldesouky et al., 2015).

Conjoint analysis is a multivariate technique explicitly used to understand how respondents (in this case, consumers) develop preferences for products or services. Thus, a conjoint analysis is also used to forecast a new product’s purchase or consumption. One type of conjoint analysis is choice-based, in which the respondents are presented with a series of sets and, for each group, a profile is asked to be chosen. Among the advantages is detecting the effect of alternatives on the product’s attractiveness since the respondent needs to consider all options in the set when making his choice, and it is also easily understood (Ares et al., 2016; Raghavarao et al., 2010).

Milk and dairy products are considered a form of income and survival for a large part of the world population and are vital nutrients. According to data from the Global Dairy Platform – GDP (2017), 816 million tons of milk are produced annually in the world, and, on average, 116.5 equivalent kg of milk are consumed per inhabitant per year, being an essential source of food energy, protein, and fat. However, whey from cheese production becomes a liability if not reused. This serum has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiviral properties and has nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins B1 and B2 (Gupta & Prakash, 2017; León-López et al., 2020). A fermented beverage mixes milk and whey with other ingredients and cultivates microorganisms. Fermented dairy products comprise most foods that contain probiotic cultures, that is, live microorganisms capable of providing health benefits in adequate amounts (Granato et al., 2018). Fermented milk whey increases its healthy potential, functional properties, shelf life, and microbiological stability (Chizhayeva et al., 2020). The product chosen for the study was the fermented milk beverage due to its widespread consumption and lower price associated with its acceptance as good as yogurt, a product with high added value and that is more expensive. Farah et al. (2017) studied the differences in sensory profiles and acceptance of yogurts, whey-based beverages, and fermented milk, finding a sample of whey-based beverages with an average acceptance not differing statistically from the yogurt samples. Furthermore, the authors demonstrated that the descriptive profiles of these samples were similar. Therefore, understanding what information can positively affect consumers’ choices of these whey-based beverages can be critical to increase further the consumption of these drinks that help to dispose of whey, have high nutritional value, and have a lower cost.

Endrizzi et al. (2015) studied the acceptability of apples with information on different fiber and antioxidant contents using conjoint analysis. The study showed that this information affected acceptance only among some groups of consumers, depending on their healthy eating habits. Annunziata and Vecchio (2013) evaluated, through conjoint analysis, four factors of probiotic functional foods. They found that a cluster analysis revealed groups of customers that differ in their assessments of healthiness and the importance they give to each factor. Melo et al. (2010) evaluated the expectations of diabetic and non-diabetic consumers about reduced-calorie milk chocolate using the same methodology. Sugar content was a more important factor influencing purchasing among diabetics than non-diabetics. Calorie reduction was more important among non-diabetics. Therefore, the authors concluded that products with specific claims for certain groups should be developed and labeled according to the particular consumer groups they are intended for.

Therefore, the work aimed to understand how the information on fermented dairy beverage labels affects consumers’ choices, which is more important, and whether lifestyle and consumption habits play a role in the decision process. This understanding may show producers how to better communicate with consumers using their products’ labels, which will help them use whey and other additives and food processes more appropriately.

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Thaís Justo Borges, Melissa Limoeiro Estrada Gutarra, Lauro Melo, Importance of information on fermented dairy beverages on choices of specific consumers, Food Research International, Volume 217, 2025, 116728, ISSN 0963-9969, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116728.