Ability to process the information was mentioned as
another important factor in the communication of credence
quality dimensions. The marketing of functional
foods is a good example of the importance of the ability
factor. Current legislation about health-related claims
being very restrictive, the marketing of functional foods
is often limited to mentioning the type of enrichment.
While consumers may be motivated to process such
information, many consumers will not have the ability
to process the information that a given product has
been enriched by, for example, omega-3 fatty acids,
because they do not have the necessary nutritional
knowledge. Explicit claims about the health effects of
the enrichment will present the information in a way
which makes it more amenable to consumers’ability to