TITLE:
Awareness and Consumption Patterns of Functional Foods among Residents in Alexandria, Egypt: Insights from a Community Survey
AUTHORS:
Hagar S. Abd-Rabou, Zainab Shawky El-khalifa
KEYWORDS:
Nutritional Information, Health Claim, Functional Food, Awareness, Questionnaire, Egypt
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.11 No.7,
July
26,
2024
ABSTRACT: “Functional foods” contain active components like vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and minerals to help maintain good health, lower disease risk, and enhance well-being. There has been an increase in the demand for these foods, mainly since the COVID-19 pandemic, when people realized the importance of choosing products and supplements that boost immunity. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to determine the Egyptian community’s familiarity with functional foods. Based on the data, they were received via an online survey (n = 201) conducted in Alexandria governorate, Egypt, between March 2021 and July 2021. The majority of respondents are between the ages of 20 and 40, with 61.7% being females and 38.3% being males, according to the results. In addition, even though consumers are unfamiliar with the term “functional foods,” they always consumed functional foods such as dairy products (39.3%) and vegetables and fruits (31.8%), as they were aware of their health benefits.