The Romanian consumers' perception regarding the safety of dietary supplements

Aim The efficacy and security of food supplements are largely used terms nowadays, giving rise to controversies regarding the safety or risks that may occur in consuming such products. Subject and methods In the international literature, there are studies regarding the consumption of dietary supplements from a medical or sociological point of view. The present study focused on the analysis of the Romanian population's opinion regarding the safety of dietary supplements (from the consumer protection point of view), also identifying the profile of the Romanian consumers in terms of consuming supplements, the perception of the consumer concerning the safety of these products and the main factors which determine the behaviour of supplements consumers. The background of the study includes a literature review and some controversies regarding how efficient it is to consume food supplements. The classification tree was used as a pertinent, rigorous, structured and easily readable method. A survey was performed among 333 Romanian respondents who belong to different social classes. Results and conclusions The present study draws conclusions related to the importance of mass media, friends' advice and the effects of using dietary supplements in drawing up a clear opinion of the Romanian consumers' perception regarding the safety of using supplements.