Importance of information on fermented dairy beverages on choices of specific consumers

Consumers are increasingly interested in healthy eating and, consequently, in knowing what they consume. The information contained on the labels can be decisive in their choices. This paper aims to understand how the information on the labels of fermented milk beverages will affect consumers' choices and whether lifestyle and consumption habits affect their choices. For this, a choice-based conjoint analysis with four factors was applied: sugar/sweetener (no added sugar, sweetened with sucralose, sweetened with stevia, no information), lactose (zero lactose, no information), fats (fat-free, no information), proteins (source of protein, with Whey Protein, no information). A questionnaire was completed by 1384 participants who had to choose one of four labels presented simultaneously and answered socioeconomic questions and questions about lifestyle and consumption habits. The results show that the interactions "sweetened with sucralose, no information about lactose and fats, and source of proteins" and "sweetened with stevia and no information about lactose, fats, and proteins" were statistically significant, presenting negative or positive utilities depending on the studied group. The "sugar/sweetener" factor showed the highest aggregate importance to most groups. Thus, the information on the labels affects the choices of specific consumers according to their lifestyles.