{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T16:51:06Z","timestamp":1771260666105,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"22","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,14]],"date-time":"2024-11-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1731542400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FCT\u2014Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","award":["UIDB\/50016\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/50016\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Applied Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The rising prevalence of food intolerances and increased health and environmental consciousness has driven the demand for free-from (FF) and organic products. This study aims to analyze consumer needs, motivations, and challenges related to these products in Portugal through an online survey with 2268 eligible responses, with a median age of the participants of 41 years. The sample was predominantly female (76.9%), with male participants comprising 23.1% of the sample. The results show that 97.4% of the respondents were aware of FF products, with 60.0% being regular consumers, particularly of lactose-free milk and gluten-free bread and biscuits. Significant market gaps were identified in the variety of FF bread (62.8%), pastries (49.0%), and cookies (38.4%). The consumers identified high prices (84.9%) and excessive sugar\/fat content (52.1%) as the main drawbacks of FF products currently on the market. The women showed greater knowledge and purchase levels compared to the men. The trust in organic certification was low (21.4%), with skepticism higher among the lower-income and male participants. Despite this, 78.1% believed in the health benefits of organic products, and 72.2% agreed that increased demand could lower prices. Overall, this study highlights the need for greater product variety, improved transparency, and consumer education to enhance market trust and accessibility.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/app142210492","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,14]],"date-time":"2024-11-14T08:06:32Z","timestamp":1731571592000},"page":"10492","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Exploring Demand: Challenges and Opportunities for Free-From and Organic Foods in Portuguese Market"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Teresa","family":"Lemos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQF\u2014Centro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Marta","family":"Vasconcelos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQF\u2014Centro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"S\u00e9rgio","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQF\u2014Centro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7568-7028","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sim\u00e3o","family":"Pinho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQF\u2014Centro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7883-2446","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana M.","family":"Gomes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQF\u2014Centro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9028-8009","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elisabete","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQF\u2014Centro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina-Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Epidemiology Research Unit, Instituto de Sa\u00fade P\u00fablica, Universidade do Porto, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"377","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodqual.2017.12.009","article-title":"European Consumer Healthiness Evaluation of \u2018Free-from\u2019 Labelled Food Products","volume":"68","author":"Hartmann","year":"2018","journal-title":"Food Qual. 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