Alenica Hässig

Last Name

Hässig

First Name

Alenica

ORCID

0000-0001-8478-4022

Organisational unit

03780 - Siegrist, Michael / Siegrist, Michael

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Publications 1 - 7 of 7

Complementary feeding challenges: Insights from Swiss parents’ perspectives
Hässig, Alenica; Román, Sergio; Sánchez-Siles, Luisma; et al. (2024)
Appetite
Parents play a crucial role in deciding what foods to introduce to their infants during the transition from milk to solids. This study examined the challenges they face, including adherence to official complementary feeding recommendations and the struggles and concerns across different stages of feeding. Specifically, this study focused on the initial stage (transition from breastmilk/formula to mashed foods), middle stage (consumption of mashed foods and some fingerfoods, transitioning towards family foods) and late stage (complete transition to family diet). Findings from 22 semi-structured interviews with Swiss parents reveal that, despite being well-informed, practical obstacles such as returning to work, limited time for preparing homemade foods, managing multiple children, and food preferences often hinder adherence. Safety concerns like allergies and choking were prominent early on but decreased as infants grew older and parents gained confidence. In the middle phase, concerns shifted towards pesticides, indicating a growing awareness of food quality. Maintaining a healthy diet was a constant concern, with early reassurance from breastfeeding or formula feeding giving way to worries about balanced nutrition as solids became more prominent. Time constraints were particularly significant in the first two stages, due to the effort of preparing small amounts of mash and later cooking separate meals. Tailored support and clear communication can help parents navigate these challenges and promote healthier feeding practices.
The misuse of “natural” claims on food products and how they can influence perceptions of naturalness and healthiness
Radaelli, Dalila; Hässig, Alenica; Román, Sergio; et al. (2025)
Food Research International
“Natural” claims are increasingly common in Swiss and global food markets. However, the term “natural” lacks a clear definition in the food industry, leading to potential consumer misinterpretation due to its positive associations with health. This article addresses two key questions: (a) Are products labeled as “natural” more natural? and (b) Does the label influence consumers' perceptions of naturalness and healthiness? Two separate studies were conducted. In the first one, 121 food items from the most popular food categories with a “natural” claim available on the Swiss food market from 2019 to 2023 were analyzed using the Food Naturalness Index (FNI) (Sanchez-Siles et al., 2019), then compared to foods that did not have a “natural” label. The majority of products with a “natural” label had significantly higher average FNI scores than non-labeled products. However, some of them had low FNI scores, suggesting potential misalignment with consumer expectations of naturalness. In the second study, an online experiment with 373 Swiss consumers assessed their perceptions of the naturalness and healthiness of 10 labeled and non-labeled products. Products with a “natural” claim were generally perceived as more natural and healthier. Mediation analysis confirmed that perceived naturalness fully explained the effects of the “natural” claim on perceived healthiness for two products. These findings suggest that consumers rely on heuristic cues from “natural” claims rather than objective product information, such as ingredient lists. This may lead to biased judgments and highlights the need for clearer guidelines to regulate the use of “natural” claims and protect consumers' trust.
Snack Confusion: Parents perceive baby, child and adult snacks as more similar than they actually are
Hässig, Alenica; Román, Sergio; Sanchez-Siles, Luisma; et al. (2025)
Current Research in Food Science
The consumption of commercial snacks for infants and toddlers has risen significantly, yet limited research has explored how parents evaluate these products across age groups. This study examined parental perceptions of snacks marketed for babies (<36 months), children (commercial snacks with child-appealing packaging), and adults, focusing on attributes such as healthiness, appropriateness, and parental willingness to buy. It also assessed the relationship between parents’ knowledge of the European Union (EU) baby food regulations and their purchasing intentions. An online survey was conducted with 704 parents in Germany. ANOVAs with Tukey post hoc tests were used to compare these measures across snacks for each age group. Additionally, Pearson correlations examined the relationship between food regulatory knowledge and buying intentions. Parents showed minimal differentiation in their evaluations of snack attributes across age groups, despite baby-specific snacks being subject to stricter limits on nutritional composition and contaminants. Our analysis also showed that parents were not fully aware of EU baby food regulations, particularly regarding restrictions on preservatives and pesticides, with 45.5 % and 52.5 % correct answers, respectively. While greater regulatory knowledge was moderately associated with a higher willingness to buy baby-specific snacks, correlations were weak, indicating a knowledge-behavior gap. These findings suggest the need for clearer labeling, stricter regulation of health claims, and educational efforts to help parents distinguish baby-specific food products and make informed choices aligned with stricter regulatory standards. Policymakers can support these efforts by ensuring regulations are effectively communicated and enforced.
Beliefs, Evaluations, and use of commercial infant Food: A survey among German parents
Hässig, Alenica; Hartmann, Christina; Roman, Sergio; et al. (2024)
Food Research International
Complementary feeding is a critical milestone for parents, who must decide the extent to which they feed their infants with homemade foods (HMFs) or commercial infant foods (CIFs). The current study focused on how parents perceive and evaluate CIFs and what drives them to use these products. Understanding the wide variety of factors that influence parents’ decisions to use CIFs as a food source is crucial to helping them make more balanced food choices for their infants. Data from an online survey with 858 German parents revealed their negative perceptions of CIFs, particularly in terms of nutritional quality and texture, and concerns that CIFs contain higher levels of pesticides and heavy metals compared to HMFs, despite acknowledging the expertise of the infant nutrition industry. These perceptions were likely to be driven by the ’natural-is-better’ belief and parents’ desire for control over the ingredients in their infants’ meals, contributing to their skepticism towards CIFs. Additionally, our study found that while many parents know traditional nutrition guidelines, they are less familiar with recent updates. Parents’ benefit beliefs about CIFs and parents’ trust in the food industry strongly influenced the use of CIFs, while infant age and parent gender had a less strong, yet significant influence on CIFs consumption. Overall, the present study offers new quantitative insights into the factors that motivate parents to use CIFs. Furthermore, it underscores the need for health authorities to improve their communication strategies towards parents concerning new dietary guidelines.
Perceived degree of food processing as a cue for perceived healthiness: The NOVA system mirrors consumers’ perceptions
Hässig, Alenica; Hartmann, Christina; Sanchez-Siles, Luisma; et al. (2023)
Food Quality and Preference
Demand for processed food is increasing, but at the same time, some of these products have been strongly criticised for causing non-communicable diseases. Only a few studies have analysed consumers’ perceptions of food processing and, especially, ultra-processed foods. We examined consumers’ associations with processed foods, as well as how their processing and healthiness perceptions are related to food classification systems (i.e. NOVA) and the nutritional value of foods (i.e. Nutri-Score). An online survey was conducted with 498 Swiss consumers, who indicated their associations with the term ‘foods produced by the industry’. Furthermore, the respondents indicated how they perceived the healthiness and degree of processing of 27 foods that differed in how much they had been processed. The results suggest that consumers have rather negative associations with food processing. Consumers use the perceived degree of processing as a cue in their evaluation of the healthiness of foods. The use of this heuristic may result in biased decisions. Furthermore, we found a strong agreement between laypeople's perceived level of processing and the NOVA classification system.
From store to home: Insights into parental baby snack choices
Hässig, Alenica; Román, Sergio; Sanchez-Siles, Luisma; et al. (2025)
Appetite
Feeding habits established during infancy play a significant role in shaping neural and physical development as well as future food preferences, emphasizing the importance of careful food selection during this time. This study examines the reasons driving parents' choices of commercial snacks for their infants amid growing concerns over their nutritional content. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 parents of infants and toddlers aged 6–18 months in Switzerland. Parents were also asked to show all the commercial snacks available at their homes that they provide to their infants and toddlers. Our interviews revealed that convenience was the primary criterion for selecting commercial baby, child, and adult snacks in general, with health considerations being of secondary importance. Nonetheless, some commercial baby snacks were perceived to provide additional health benefits. The safety of commercial baby snacks, particularly in terms of texture and ingredients, emerged as a key factor influencing their purchase, despite the higher costs. The analysis of 151 photographs of commercial snacks (N = 101 different snack products) present in participants’ homes and intended for their infants and toddlers, combined with insights from the interviews, revealed that although several parents acknowledged the benefits of baby-specific snacks, they still frequently chose commercial snacks marketed for older children or adults for their infants and toddlers. Commercial snacks selected included 59 % infant, 17 % child, 25 % adult snacks. This behavior reflected a trade-off in parental selection criteria, influenced by practical factors, such as cost considerations and the perception that baby-specific snacks become less necessary as children grow. Our findings indicate that the food industry, policymakers, and healthcare professionals should work together to support parents in choosing age-appropriate snacks for infants and toddlers. Key actions may include making baby snacks more affordable, raising awareness of safety benefits, and ensuring clear, consistent labelling.
From Mash to Meals: Exploring Parental Complementary Food Choices
Hässig, Alenica (2025)

Publications 1 - 7 of 7

Alenica Hässig

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