# Taste leads attribute ratings in a Transylvanian functional-food survey > Among 215 adults recruited for an online survey, 72.09% rated taste very important when buying groceries. The authors describe the findings as a regional benchmark from a non-probability sample. URL: https://foodradar.org/transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits Language: en Author: FoodRadar Editorial Published: 2026-10-19T06:00:10.000Z Updated: 2026-10-25T01:33:58.810Z Source publication date: 2026-08-17 Category: Markets Türkçe: https://foodradar.org/tr/transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits Español: https://foodradar.org/es/transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits Deutsch: https://foodradar.org/de/transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits Italiano: https://foodradar.org/it/transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits Русский: https://foodradar.org/ru/transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits ## Taste receives the highest top-category rating Taste was rated very important by 72.09% of participants in a functional-food survey in Transylvania, Romania. Table 1 of the Foods study reports a further 20.00% rating taste important. In the questionnaire, this item asked how important product attributes were when buying groceries, using a five-category scale from not important at all to very important. The researchers collected 223 Google Forms responses in May 2026 and retained 215 complete responses, excluding eight incomplete submissions. Recruitment combined purposive age grouping with convenience and snowball approaches, seeking adults aged 18–76 across four age cohorts. ## Respondents also report future purchase intentions Asked whether they intended to buy functional products in the future, 56.74% of participants selected very likely and 30.7% selected likely. The study examined these stated intentions alongside perceptions of functional foods, product-attribute ratings and socio-demographic characteristics. The sample was 62.33% female and 38.14% belonged to the youngest age cohort, aged 18–25. More than 60% had at least a bachelor's degree. The authors identify the overrepresentation of women, younger adults and highly educated respondents as a constraint on how the results can be applied more widely. ## The authors set out the next research steps The authors describe the study as a regional empirical benchmark. They note that recruitment was non-probabilistic, cohort sizes were unequal and the concise questionnaire relied partly on single-item indicators. They also state that the cross-sectional design cannot separate age, historical-period and cohort effects. For future work, they propose larger probability-based or quota-controlled samples with balanced representation, validated multi-item measures and longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional designs. The paper reports no external funding, and the authors declare no conflicts of interest. ## Source and licence Source: Dana C. Chira, Felix H. Arion, Mioara Mihăilă, Ioana A. Roman, Raluca A. Roman and Călin S. Vac, “Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Functional Foods in the North-West Region of Romania (Transylvania)”, Foods 15(16), 2861, published 17 August 2026. DOI: 10.3390/foods15162861. ©2026 the authors; Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Edited English news adaptation by FoodRadar Editorial. ## Sources and rights - [Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Functional Foods in the North-West Region of Romania (Transylvania)](https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15162861?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits-en). Foods. Dana C. Chira, Felix H. Arion, Mioara Mihăilă, Ioana A. Roman, Raluca A. Roman and Călin S. Vac (2026). Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Functional Foods in the North-West Region of Romania (Transylvania). Foods 15(16), 2861. DOI: 10.3390/foods15162861. © 2026 by the authors. CC BY 4.0. Adapted, edited and translated by FoodRadar. [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=transylvanian-functional-food-survey-taste-and-sampling-limits-en-license). Adapted by FoodRadar. [Editorial standards](https://foodradar.org/editorial-policy)