The effect of dietary fibre information on consumer responses to breads and English muffins: a cross-cultural study

The effect of information about dietary fibre content was investigated for Chinese Malaysian and Australian consumer perceptions of bread and English muffins for (a) white low-fibre, (b) white fibre-enriched and (c) wholemeal/grain versions of the products. Acceptance measures, perception of sensory intensities and health and nutrition related attributes were rated before and after information about fibre content was presented. Information strongly affected the perceived healthiness and nutrition value of the breads and English muffins for both cultural groups, and Australians were more receptive to information in their ratings for fibre content. Perceived sensory intensities were also influenced by information, and a cultural difference in direction of change was observed for the English muffins. For both cultures, bread liking and English muffin, likelihood of consumption was enhanced for the white product labelled as high in fibre, while no changes were noted for the wholemeal/grain ratings. Consumer characteristics had no additional explanatory power in relation to consumers' acceptance response when fibre information was given, for either culture group. Crown Copyright (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.