Market valuation of health claims’ types and strength: the Italian yogurt market

While consumer’s demand for foods delivering health benefits, or functional foods, increases, Reg.No.1924/2006, imposes to food manufacturers in the European market stringent criteria for health claims approval. Facing this trade-off, manufacturers need to assess which claim is more likely to lead to market success. We investigate the market value of different health claims, and their efficacy in Italy, using a large database of yogurt sales and a hedonic price framework. Our results indicate large variation in the marginal price of a health claim depending upon the type of health benefits delivered and the claim’s strength