Role of Food Neophobia and Allergen Content in Food Choices for a Polish Cohort of Young Women

Young women are vulnerable to a number of factors which influence their food choices, including beliefs about food products, or information about nutritional value, while information, that product is free from specific component generates consumer perceptions of its healthfulness. Among the factors which may influence such perception, there is food neophobia (FN). The aim of this study was to determine the influence of FN and information about allergens on the food product choices in the Polish cohort of young women, in the choice experiment when given a model restaurant menu. The web-based choice experiment, in a group of 600 women, aged 18–30 years, with no food allergies diagnosed, was conducted using a mock Italian-style restaurant menu. For 2 starters, 2 soups, 3 main courses and 3 desserts that were included, the allergen content, neophobic potential and perceived lack of healthiness, for a Polish population, were defined. Each respondent randomly received the version containing only a description of dishes, or a description accompanied by the allergens listed. The FN was assessed using the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS). The type of menu (with or without allergens listed) did not influence the choices of dishes. The highest FN level was observed for the women being inhabitants of villages (median of 32). The respondents characterized by a high level of FN less commonly chose dishes characterized by neophobic potential as a starter (Carpaccio), main course (Risotto ai frutti di mare) and dessert (Zabaglione). At the same time, the highest FN level was observed for respondents who chose dishes with no neophobic potential (median of 34.5). However, for allergen content and perceived lack of healthiness, no association with FN was observed, so it may be stated that for neophobic respondents, only neophobic potential is a factor limiting the choice of dishes. It may be concluded that food neophobia in young women may limit the consumption of dishes with unknown food products, and the influence is observed independently of other features of a dish, such as allergen content or perceived healthiness. The problem may appear especially for inhabitants of villages, who are characterized by the highest level of FN.