Effects of Food Neophobia, Familiarity, and Nutrition Information on Consumer Acceptance of Asian Menu Items

As obesity and cancer threaten Americans' quality of life, eating more vegetables and lighter foods is becoming the new trend with Asian foods being a good source of vegetables. The primary finding of this study indicates that food neophobia (defined as a reluctance to eat and/or avoidance of new foods) plays an important role in influencing consumer familiarity with Asian cuisine, and thus further influences consumer attitude toward Asian menu items and consumer intent to purchase those items. This study shows that improving consumer familiarity by adding familiar flavors, appearance, presentation, and preparation methods into the newly-developed menu items could remove a potential barrier in trying new ethnic foods. The results also indicate that nutrition information moderates the impact of familiarity on U.S. consumers' nutrition-related attitudes toward Asian menu items.