The perception of functional foods in Italian young

Since the early 21st century consumers are increasing their attention to health lifestyle and the healthiness of their diet. Similar changes occurred within the young segment too, in which the young ones are asking for additional food safety and health education; therefore, an increasing attention towards high quality, natural and sustainable food rapidly emerged. In this context, nutraceutical and functional food play a significant role. This paper analyzes the perception of functional food in Italian young consumers. The research was carried out through a questionnaire proposed to 311 individuals aged between 18 and 35 years old in paper or through the use of Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI). Data have been collected from December 26th 2016 to 28th February 2017 and analyzed through SPSS 21.0 program, Statistical Package for Social Science. The results show that 71% of the sample do not know the definition of functional foods but recognize them at the time they list them. The respondents buy functional foods in the supermarket and in discount stores; they prefer herbalist's shop to pharmacy. The main motivations for using functional foods are related to their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant effects. This study indicates that the Italian young have little knowledge regarding functional foods. This could be due to poor communication on the definition and effectiveness of functional foods by experts and the media. One possible solution is the realization of educational campaigns starting from nursery schools