International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences 2013; 2(2) : 52-59 Published online March 10, 2013 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijnfs) doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15 An insight of the Mauritian consumers’ awareness, perceptions and expectations of functional foods Keerti Devi Bholah 1 , Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun 2,* 1 Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Republic of Mauritius 2 Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science and ANDI Centre of Excellence for Biomedical and Biomaterials Research, Univer- sity of Mauritius, Réduit, Republic of Mauritius Email address: v.neergheen@uom.ac.mu (V. S. Neergheen-Bhujun) To cite this article: Keerti Devi Bholah, Vidushi S. Neergheen-Bhujun. An Insight of the Mauritian Consumers’ Awareness, Perceptions and Expectations of Functional Foods, International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Vol. 2, No. 2, 2013, pp. 52-59. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130202.15 Abstract: During the past few decades, consumers have switched from an emphasis on satisfying hunger to an emphasis on the promising use of foods to promote well-being and to help reduce the risk of disease. This is particularly the case for the island of Mauritius where a variety of functional food products with different health claims have been observed in major supermarkets around the country. Since acceptance of functional foods depends largely on the awareness and perceptions of Mauritians regarding these foods, consumer research on functional foods remains vital. This study investigated the level of awareness and knowledge of Mauritian adults concerning functional foods and their purported health benefits. In addition, the perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods and their willingness to try functional foods were also studied. Information pertaining to knowledge, awareness, perceptions and interest regarding functional foods as well as so- cio-demographic characteristics were collected from a representative random sample of 384 Mauritian adults aged above 18 years. The survey was conducted in 8 supermarkets and shopping centres of Mauritius. The data indicated that though 85.5% of participants were aware of foods which may help in preventing certain diseases, only 13.8% of the sample population was familiar with the term ‘functional foods’. Pearson Chi-Square test indicated that awareness of functional foods was dependent on gender (p<0.05), age (p<0.01), level of education (p<0.01), monthly household income (p<0.01) and health status of respondent (p<0.01). Besides, perceptions of respondents towards health-enhancing foods were relatively positive and 84.6% of them were willing to try functional foods in the future. The results indicated a relatively low level of awareness and knowledge concerning functional foods in Mauritius but also noted an interest of the consumers for these products. Keywords: Functional Foods, Awareness, Knowledge, Perceptions, Health Benefits 1. Introduction Ever since a relationship has been established between diet and health, food is no longer perceived merely as a means to satisfy hunger, prevent deficiency diseases or to provide the essential macronutrients or micronutrients; it has become the primary vehicle to transport human beings along the road of optimal health and wellness [1]. This ‘changing face’ of food has led to the emergence of the exciting area of functional foods [1]. Generally all foods are functional through their provision to the body of energy and nutrients necessary for survival, but as the science of food and nutrition has advanced to designing foods that promote optimal health and reduce the risk of diseases, the term functional food has evolved. A number of studies have in- dicated the health claims of functional foods particularly due to the biological effects of their functional ingredients [2-4]. The functional food industry has been flourishing in de- veloped countries over the past few decades, boosted by the global high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity. NCD deaths are projected to increase by 15% globally between 2010 and 2020 to 44% in the regions of Africa, South-East Asia and the Eastern Medi- terranean [5]. Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean of about 2000 km2 and with around 1.2 million in- habitants has unfortunately not been spared. The country has witnessed a major transition in the burden of diseases, shifting from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases over the decades. The WHO global status report on