Health claims and spirulina composition drive consumer choice for spirulina cookies: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment with scenario simulations

Spirulina-enriched cookies combine functional nutrition with aquatic-food innovation, but market success depends on how consumers weigh formulation and labelling attributes at the point of purchase. This study applies a discrete choice experiment to quantify stated-preference trade-offs among spirulina composition (0%, 3%, 6%), flour base (wheat, modified cassava flour [MOCAF], MOCAF–cornstarch blend), health claim (none, antioxidant, plant-based protein), and price among Indonesian consumers (N=211) recruited through an online survey. Preferences were estimated using a conditional logit model with respondent-clustered standard errors, and scenario-based choice shares were derived with 95% parametric bootstrap confidence intervals. Health claims and spirulina composition were the most influential attributes, jointly accounting for over 75% of explained preference variation, whereas price exerted limited influence within the tested range. Pairing 3% spirulina with an antioxidant claim produced the highest predicted acceptance (share=0.68), although contrasts showed no significant difference between claim types and the 3%–6% composition gap remained directional. Substituting the MOCAF–cornstarch blend significantly reduced predicted acceptance even under the best-performing configuration, indicating a persistent texture-related penalty. Coordinated formulation and communication strategies, pairing a substantiated, BPOM-compliant claim with an optimised MOCAF formulation, offer a practical route to position spirulina cookies within Indonesia’s food diversification agenda.