Attitudes and Preferences of Consumers Towards Functional FoodsEnriched with Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Abstract

In recent years, increasing attention has focused on foods enriched with omega-3 fatty acids due to their positive effects on health..Natural omega-3 fatty acid sources include aquaculture and plants such as walnut, flaxseed, and purslane. In view of the inadequateintake of omega-3 fatty acids in modern diets, several enriched functional foods have been developed on a large scale to improvenutrition. Several types of functional products have been progressively manufactured following the advent of novel food technologies.In the current study, consumer attitudes, knowledge and preferences of functional foods enriched with omega-3 were assessed in asurvey including 819 participants in Istanbul, Turkey. The survey findings revealed that 72% of the participants consumed omega-3fatty acids from natural sources, 17% used fish oil capsules, and only 11% preferred foods enriched with omega-3 fatty acids.