Iranians’ Perception of Nutritional Health

About the Report

Iranians’ Perception of Nutritional Health is the second Foodex Iran research study focused on food culture and consumer nutrition in Iran. Based on approximately 4,800 participants, the study explores what healthy food means to Iranian consumers and how nutritional knowledge influences their everyday choices.

The research goes beyond attitudes alone. It examines nutritional knowledge, consumer familiarity with food labels and certification marks, information sources, purchasing behavior, and the extent to which consumers apply nutritional knowledge when choosing food products.

How Iranians Define Healthy Food

The study finds that Iranian consumers most strongly associate healthy food with three concepts: being rich in vitamins and nutrients, being local or organic, and being fresh. Together, these three attributes account for approximately 57% of responses.

This finding is particularly relevant to food brands because consumers’ perception of “healthy” is shaped not only by technical nutritional attributes, but also by concepts such as freshness, naturalness, and origin.

The Knowledge–Behavior Gap

The findings indicate a gap between caring about healthy nutrition, possessing nutritional knowledge, and applying that knowledge during actual food purchases. The average reported use of nutritional information while shopping stands at approximately 54%, and the use of such information gradually increases with age.

Knowledge also varies significantly across food categories. Participants showed relatively strong familiarity with recommended water consumption, while correct knowledge regarding fruits, vegetables, meat, and grains was substantially lower.

Digital Media as a Key Information Source

Digital channels play a central role in shaping nutritional knowledge. Nearly two-thirds of respondents identified the Internet and social media as major sources of nutritional information, with Instagram and Telegram playing particularly prominent roles.

This makes the digital environment not only an important commercial channel for food brands, but also a major arena in which consumer beliefs about nutrition and health are formed.

Who Can Use This Report?

The report offers useful insights for food and beverage executives, marketers, brand strategists, product developers, consumer researchers, nutrition professionals, and policymakers seeking to better understand how Iranian consumers perceive and act on health-related food information.

Data Note

The survey was conducted in 2023 and relies largely on self-reported attitudes and behavior. The findings should therefore be interpreted as a snapshot of consumer perceptions at the time of the study and should ideally be complemented with newer data for current decision-making.