Exploring Greek Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Functional Yogurts: A Focus Group Study

Greek yogurt has proven to be an essential part of a healthy diet. Consumers worldwide recognize the nutritional value of yogurt and add it to their eating habits in Greece, numerous high-quality dairy industries exist, while consumers are becoming more and more selective about the quality of the yogurt they consume. However, the factors that influence their buying behavior are largely unknown. Also, the factors affecting the acceptance of foods with particular health characteristics, such as functional yogurts, have yet to be explored; this study attempts to investigate them. Further, in highly competitive markets, such as the Greek dairy industry, research methodologies need to be adapted in order to better understand end-users’ needs and especially when new products are developed. Under that context, five focus group sessions were conducted in three urban cities of Greece, with a total of 39 participants. Their objective was to identify the main aspects involved in Greek consumers’ buying behavior concerning the nutritional characteristics of the yogurt and the functional yogurt.