Food neophobia among the Finns and related responses to familiar and unfamiliar foods

A representative sample of the Finns (n = 1083) rated the familiarity of 20 foods designated to be "familiar" or "unfamiliar" and willingness to try them. Subjects also filled in a 10-item questionnaire measuring their individual food neophobia. Food neophobia scores decreased with increasing education and with the degree of urbanization. Men were more neophobic than women, and the elderly (66-80 years) were more neophobic than the other age groups. Subjects with high food neophobia were less likely to have tasted or eaten the rated foods than were those with low food neophobia. Food neophobia significantly predicted the willingness to try "unfamiliar", and also some "familiar" foods. In factor analysis, the items of the food neophobia scale loaded on two factors but the variance was mainly explained by the first factor related to the interest in new foods. The second factor may reflect a general concern about trying unknown foods. Overall, the translated food neophobia scale appeared to be a valid instrument for the characterization of consumer responses to unfamiliar foods. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.