Eureka! Institutional Repository

Nowadays, consumers are exposed to a number of health related messages motivating them to eat healthy. Therefore, consumers are likely to be confused by conflicting messages in the marketplace and be interested in searching for understandable, usable, and credible information. This study investigates the possible effects of health consciousness, health as a value, trust in nutritional claims, and subjective nutritional knowledge on intention to buy healthy food products along with consumer attitudes towards food products containing nutrition claims serving as a mediator variable. Data were gathered from 308 consumers via face-to-face interviews in Mersin, Turkey. To understand the mediating effects of nutrition claims, two alternative models were suggested. The results of the study revealed that attitude towards food products containing nutrition claims has a significant mediating role on the effects of health consciousness, trust in nutritional claims, and subjective nutritional knowledge on intention to buy. The study concludes with a discussion about theoretical and practical implications.