Nowadays, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, consumers increasingly seek foods that not only fulfill the basic need (i.e., satisfying hunger) but also enhance human health and well-being. As a result, more attention has been given to some kinds of foods, termed "superfoods," making big claims about their richness in valuable nutrients and bioactive compounds as well as their capability to prevent illness, reinforcing the human immune system, and improve overall health.This review is an attempt to uncover truths and myths about superfoods by giving examples of the most popular foods (e.g., berries, pomegranates, watermelon, olive, green tea, several seeds and nuts, honey, salmon, and camel milk, among many others) that are commonly reported as having unique nutritional, nutraceutical, and functional characteristics.While superfoods have become a popular buzzword in blog articles and social media posts, scientific publications are still relatively marginal. The reviewed findings show that COVID-19 has become a significant driver for superfoods consumption. Food Industry 4.0 innovations have revolutionized many sectors of food technologies, including the manufacturing of functional foods, offering new opportunities to improve the sensory and nutritional quality of such foods. Although many food products have been considered superfoods and intensively sought by consumers, scientific evidence for their beneficial effectiveness and their "superpower" are yet to be provided. Therefore, more research and collaboration between researchers, industry, consumers, and policymakers are still needed to differentiate facts from marketing gimmicks and promote human health and nutrition.

Truths and myths about superfoods in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Superfoods, a super impact on health and the environment?

The term ‘superfoods’, used frequently with marketing purposes, is usually associated with foodstuffs with beneficial health properties. ‘Superfoods’ appears in many information sources, including digital media. The information they provide is easily accessible for consumers through Internet search engines. The objective of this work is to investigate the data that web pages offer to consumers and their accuracy according to current scientific knowledge. The two main search engines were utilized for English language websites search, introducing the term ‘superfoods’. In total, 124 search results were found. After applying the selection criteria, 45 web pages were studied. A total of 136 foods were considered as ‘superfoods’ by sites; 10 of them (kale, spinach, salmon, blueberries, avocado, chia, walnuts, beans, fermented milks and garlic) were mentioned on at least 15 sites. Nutritional and healthy properties displayed on sites were compared to scientific information. In conclusion, websites present the information in a very simplified manner and it is generally not wrong. However, they should offer to consumers comprehensible information without raising false expectations regarding health benefits. In any case, ‘superfoods’ consumption can have salutary effects as part of a balanced diet.

/pdf/superfoods-reliability-of-the-information-for-consumers-r76604s6.pdf

‘Superfoods’: Reliability of the Information for Consumers Available on the Web

Increasing interest in healthy habits has created the market for what is commonly called “superfoods.” The goal of this study was to explore Swiss consumers’ initial and final attitudes toward superfoods as well as their change in attitude toward those foods after being provided selected information. A questionnaire survey was conducted to explore the individual traits of the respondents. The attitudes were assessed at the beginning and end of the survey. Four multiple regression analyses were performed. The results showed that consumers perceiving superfoods’ health benefits and expressing an interest in organic foods were associated with initial and positive attitudes. These predictors remained significantly related to the positive attitude at the end of the survey. Sociodemographic predictors (age and place of residence) were significant factors, with older people and individuals who lived in urban centers showing a higher propensity to improve their attitudes toward superfoods. Individuals with lower perceptions about the benefits of superfoods being healthy and lower levels of cultural participation showed a negative attitude change. Given that this study aims to shed light on the variables that influence the behavior of Swiss consumers toward the superfoods trend, it fills a significant gap in the literature.

/pdf/how-information-on-superfoods-changes-consumers-attitudes-an-5g9v5ig1.pdf

How Information on Superfoods Changes Consumers’ Attitudes: An Explorative Survey Study

Social media marketing is a promising tool for successful product placement of new healthy luxury food products, a subcategory of superfoods. Despite its growing popularity, no studies have investigated how social media marketing affects consumers' quality perception process for such superfoods and whether this provides opportunities for farmers to gain a competitive advantage in direct marketing channels. Therefore, we integrate media richness theory into the food quality guidance model, compile a data set of 697 German fruit consumers from May to June 2020, and analyze this sample via partial least square analysis. Results show that social media marketing is a viable tool for new healthy luxury food products if media content is highly experience providing. Furthermore, it offers opportunities for the formation of shorter food supply chains as farmers could, through the provision of engaging social media marketing content, sell new healthy luxury food products directly to the final consumer. This research provides implications to farmers, retailers and policy makers to exploit the social media marketing potential of new healthy luxury food products. 

/pdf/can-new-healthy-luxury-food-products-accelerate-short-food-1eozee4f.pdf

Can new healthy luxury food products accelerate short food supply chain formation via social media marketing in high-income countries?

Superfoods, former traditional foods that in some cases are now regarded as new healthy luxury food products (NHLFP), have been growing in popularity in high- and middle-income societies. Despite a growing interest in superfoods, a precise definition of NHLFP, which appears to mark a subcategory of superfoods, together with a comprehensive analysis of NHLFP consumer segments does not yet exist. This is of particular relevance to managers as profound knowledge of different consumer groups is a prerequisite for the use of marketing approaches such as social media marketing. Therefore, this research proposes and validates an NHLFP definition and investigates whether promising NHLFP consumer groups can be identified based on selected psychographic and sociodemographic consumer characteristics and whether these groups are also accessible through social media marketing. A data set of 697 fruit consumers in Germany was retrieved in the time period of May to June 2020 and analyzed through exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Eleven factors and four consumer groups were identified, two of which represented favorable superfood consumer groups—one group consumed for intrinsic, health-related reasons rather than for luxury-driven motives, while the other showed tendencies to purchase superfoods for luxury reasons, thus emerging as a promising NHLFP target group. This group is relatively younger, well-educated, and highly receptive of online marketing.

Verena Otter

Papers

Who Are the Superfoodies? New Healthy Luxury Food Products and Social Media Marketing Potential in Germany