Reduced‐fat foods: the shopper’s viewpoint

The inclusion of reduced‐fat foods in the daily diet affords consumers the potential to reduce overall dietary fat. Nevertheless, despite an increased range of these food products throughout the market, there has remained a lack of widespread consumer acceptance. The aim of the study was therefore to understand why consumers choose or reject reduced‐fat foods. Ninety consumers were interviewed by means of a qualitative approach within food retail outlets in the United Kingdom. Thematic content analysis indicated that uptake or rejection of these products is influenced by health concerns, ‘goodness of fit’ with individual dietary health strategies, the preferences of different household members, perceived sensory properties and scepticism towards these products. The results imply a need to explore and innovate ‘natural’ fat substitutes and to improve the sensory quality of reduced‐fat products. Further research is required to determine how these foods are used within the household and incorporated within the overall diet. Policy must seek to restore consumer trust in reduced‐fat food products and the food supply generally.     

Food choices in Ethiopia: does nutritional information matter?

This article reports results from a framed market experiment conducted to examine whether milk choices are responsive to changes in the nutritional characteristics of milk products. Using a random‐effect Tobit model, we analyzed experimental data collected from 160 participants in urban Ethiopia. It shows that sensory properties play a key role in the acceptance of reduced‐fat milk while the provision of nutrition information has a mixed effect on a price premium. Further, a substantial percentage of participants were found to have a strong preference for whole milk while only 19% of them prefer reduced‐fat milk with 2.8% price premium. The study unveils a heterogeneous preference for the nutritional quality of milk products. Consumers’ health problems and socio‐demographic characteristics influence their preference for the nutritional quality of milk products. The result also shows a nutrition‐taste tradeoff, yet consumers place more value on sensory experience. Contrary to earlier studies, we found that prior belief about milk quality influences how consumers value sensory experience and nutrition information.     

Functional Foods and the Young

Factors such as raised consciousness about human health, development of the food industry, and medicine and branches of natural science studying the relation between nutrition and health have led to the popularization of foods with proven health effects. Such foods are called functional foods. Although there is growing interest in functional foods, there are several groups of consumers that are, more than others, interested in functional foods. To examine buying behavior and attitudes toward functional food of young consumers (18–30 years old) and to determine the most interested consumers, we conducted a survey using a self-administered questionnaire on a sample of 570 Croatian students. The majority of the respondents purchase functional foods, usually in supermarkets. Apart from taste, the most important functional food attribute is price/quality ratio. Respondents are buying functional foods because they believe that those foods are healthier and safer than other products. Examined market segments were based on respondents’ attitudes toward functional foods. The results of this research could be used in planning further development of the functional foods market for young consumers.     

低能量焙烤食品的研究与开发

低能量焙烤食品的市场潜力很大,目前国际市场上虽有此类产品上市,但发展还很不理想。焙烤食品的低能量化主要在于蔗糖和脂肪的替代。随着各种低能量配料的使用,会使其产品的含水性、口感及风味等发生明显的变化,同时导致产品生产成本提高,这些都是开发低能量焙烤食品必须解决的技术难题。合理使用各种高品质的蔗糖替代品和脂肪替代品,对原有生产技术加以合理化改造,是开发高品质的低能量焙烤食品的关键。     

South African consumers' opinions and consumption of soy and soy products

Interest in soy foods has increased with consumer awareness of its health benefits, especially with soy‐related ingredients being utilized as one of the major sources of high‐protein fortification. The aim of the present study was to assess South African (SA) consumers' opinion of soy and soy products through different statements on consumption, taste, protein value and healthiness. The respondents (n = 3001) for this randomized cross‐sectional study were randomly selected from metropolitan and rural areas in South Africa. Trained fieldworkers administered questionnaires by conducting face‐to‐face interviews. Fourteen statements from four sections of the questionnaire (consisting of 17 food‐related topics in total), probing information on consumers' opinion on soy and soy products, were used. Data on 81% of the respondents (n = 2437), who had heard of soy before, were used for statistical analyses. The data were weighted to be representative of the total SA population based on gender, age and race. No practically significant differences among metropolitan and rural respondents' opinion, gender or age variables regarding any statement were found. A practically significant higher percentage (>60%) of respondents in the total population and within all race groups were positive about soy and agreed that soy is a good source of protein, has many health benefits, associated soy with meat substitutes, were aware of a number of meat substitutes and agreed that soy can replace meat in their diet. Medium to large practically significant differences were found between racial groups regarding certain statements. More Blacks and Indians (76% and 68% respectively) than Whites (25%) use soy. Almost two‐thirds of Indians (65%) and Blacks (64%) eat or drink soy products, compared with only 22% for Whites, indicating that the potential target market for soy products should be chosen accordingly. Higher percentages of Blacks than Whites also indicated that they liked the taste of soy, would use more soy if it was readily available and if a bigger product range existed and would replace cow's milk with soy milk, confirming that Blacks are more positive about soy and would use even more soy if a bigger range of soy products were available. The findings from the current study indicated that more than 70% of SA consumers believe that soy has many health benefits and more than 60% already use soy. Insight gained from this first study of its kind in SA provided valuable information to developers and marketers, and signified that consumer segmentation should be taken into consideration to focus on developing more acceptable soy products that appeal to these consumer segments that are more positive towards the taste of soy and might consume soy regularly. Within the discipline of Consumer Science, efforts to inform consumers about the advantages of soy in terms of its health benefits, and to support it in terms of a greater availability of more acceptable soy products at reasonable prices, would support the ideal of informed, responsible buying decisions across all socio‐economic groups.     

An Exploration of U.S. Consumer Perceptions and Affect: Two Forms of a Soy-Based Food Product

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on a consumer comparison of fresh tofu and frozen tofu, and the investigation of consumer perceptions of and responses to, both products. A literature review of consumer perceptions and attitudes toward soy products was carried out. Consumer perceptions and affect were then qualitatively investigated using separate focus groups composed of “soy-users” and “health conscious” consumers. Extensive taste tests of the product, using five different recipes, comparing and contrasting frozen versus fresh forms of tofu were conducted to obtain sensory evaluations. The results indicate that many consumers are unfamiliar with the product, yet tofu is perceived to be an acceptable food for those inclined to use soy-based products, as well as those who are otherwise healthy eating conscious. In taste tests, it was found that the recipes in which tofu was disguised were preferred. In addition, frozen tofu was generally found not to be perceived as markedly different from the fresh product. Implications of the findings for marketing fresh and frozen forms of tofu are discussed.     

European Wines Exports Towards Emerging Markets. The Role of Geographical Identity

The geographical identity of agricultural products may be regarded as a means to differentiate the product in the consumers’ taste and eye, thereby ensuring higher prices. Building on the analysis of Agostino and Trivieri (Food Policy46:22–36, 2014), this paper provides empirical evidence on the performance of geographically designated and indicated wines in emerging economies. According to our findings—based on bilateral exports of wine originating from France, Italy and Spain in the period 2010–2013—the geographical designation seems reaching the ultimate goal of a price premium in the BRICS countries. Italian and Spanish quality wines, yet, appear lagging behind their French counterparts.     

Perceived preservation format and food preference

The same (chilled) food product was presented to 77 consumers with either a frozen or chilled label. As predicted, liking for the food product was found to be in line with consumer expectation of liking for the different preservation format labels. For example, consumers that expected chilled foods to taste better than frozen reported higher liking for the product with the chilled label, even though actual quality of all products tasted was the same. Contrary to our prediction that tasting similar quality products perceived to be from different preservation formats would bring expectation of liking for those formats closer together, we found consumers who expressed no preference before tasting the products had developed a preference afterwards. We discuss the implication of these results and similarities between the concepts of conditioning, attitude, expectation and preference.     

Study of Consumer Preferences in Regard to the Blonde Orange Cv. Washington Navel “Arancia Di Ribera PDO”

Consumers’ attitude and preferences in regard to food ingredients, country of origin, social corporate responsibility toward the environment, and work conditions have changed over the last 10 years. Consumers are getting more educated and therefore more sensitive around cultivation practices in agriculture and food processing, which increases concerns in regard to production practices in agriculture. Several studies have been conducted on consumers’ preferences about quality food, but not with regard to blonde oranges cv. Washington Navel cultivated in southern Italy. This quality fruit is a niche product that achieved the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification for high organoleptic properties and fine taste. In this study, by a survey of 400 Italian consumers, we discovered preferences in regard to the cv. Washington Navel PDO (Riberella) attributes and revealed variables that may influence consumers’ purchasing behavior. Cluster analysis, based on respondents’ rates on 20 attributes, revealed preference segmentation. Freshness, taste, and origin were the most important attributes for consumers, following visual appearance and quality/price ratio. In responding to the demands of consumers for quality fresh fruit, information about quality standards and about the Riberella PDO is poor. Therefore, there may be potential to develop specific policies and marketing strategies to product the position in the international market.     

Influence of Language of Packaging Labels on Consumers’ Buying Preferences

Can packaging labels of three different foreign languages (Korean, Japanese, and English) affect consumers’ preferences? In a month of field experiment involving 203 Chinese undergraduate students, this study used coffee as an experimental product and created a fictitious brand “7 AM COFFEE.” Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) as a statistical tool, the results of the experiment show that the English language represents the strongest effect for (1) consumers’ attention, (2) trust, (3) perceived quality, (4) taste perception, and (5) purchase intention. Moreover, consumers with high or low frequencies of drinking a coffee do not have a specific preference in relations to their attitude. The findings and discussion of this research provide better direction for marketing managers of beverages in establishing market strategies to promote products and generating appeal among coffee drinker.     

Estimating the effects of nutrition label use on Canadian consumer diet‐health concerns using propensity score matching

The overarching goal of nutrition labelling is to transform intrinsic credence attributes into searchable cues, which would enable consumers to make informed food choices at lower search costs. This study estimates the impact of nutrition label usage on Canadian consumers’ (n = 8,114) perceived diet‐health concerns using alternative propensity score matching (PSM) techniques. We apply a series of tests and sensitivity analyses to overcome issues of endogeneity and selection bias frequently found in studies of diet‐health behaviour and to validate the impact of exposure to nutrition facts labels for users vs. non‐users. Our results support the notion that consumer uncertainty and related food‐health concerns are linked to their information behaviour, but not in straightforward manner. Dominant subjective food attributes, such as taste, convenience and affordability, may in fact outweigh the benefits of information about healthier, alternative food choices. In order to change dietary health behaviour, food manufacturer and policy makers alike need to adopt communication instruments that better account for differences in preferences, shopping habits and overall usage patterns of nutrition labelling information.     

The effect of a Halal label and label size on purchasing intent for non-Muslim consumers

This study examined whether the purchasing intent of non-Muslim consumers in Taiwan was negatively affected by Halal labeling on meat products. Specifically, does a Halal label or the size of the Halal label have an impact on purchasing intention? A multinomial logit model with a random utility theory was utilized to determine the probability of purchasing Halal labeled meat products in Taiwanese traditional markets. The survey was distributed via Survey Monkey and 907 responses were collected. Results showed that a vast majority of non-Muslim Taiwanese consumers would still buy (33%) or try to buy (55%) Halal labeled meat products. Further, larger sized Halal labels did not keep non-Muslim consumers from purchasing the meat products. Rather, consumers showed higher purchasing intent with a larger Halal label, as long as the butchers adopted cold storage techniques to help keep the meat fresh. Therefore, governments, companies, and traditional market butchers should be less concerned about adopting Halal labels in traditional markets. The results of this study supports prior studies and confirms that non-Muslim consumers in Taiwan do not appear to be negatively influenced by a Halal label, regardless of the label size.     

Older consumers’ perceptions of functional foods and non‐edible health‐enhancing innovations

Increasing interest in health and well‐being is likely to drive a growth in demand for products that have positive effects on health. Consumers’ acceptance of and willingness to buy functional foods has been widely studied, but there has not been research on consumers’ attitudes towards innovative non‐edible products with health effects. This study examines how older consumers perceive functional foods and novel non‐edible health‐enhancing products, how willing they are to purchase such products, and how health orientation influences their views. As an example of a ‘radical’ innovation, consumers’ acceptance of rubbing their hands in a specific soil‐based mixture to modulate the immune system is explored. The research material, 13 thematic interviews, was collected in Lahti region, Finland, in 2015. The study indicates that the older consumers’ market is not homogeneous. Based on a qualitative, in‐depth approach, the study distinguishes four consumer segments with different lay understandings of health and attitudes towards health‐enhancing products, which influence people's willingness to purchase such products. The segments are health‐seeking consumers, cautious consumers, critical consumers and natural health consumers. Various motives and barriers for using products with health claims are also identified. The case of rubbing hands in organic soil‐based mixture indicates the difficulty of predicting which consumer segment will first adopt this kind of ‘radical’ innovation. The results highlight that the credence qualities of a novel product must be communicated and advertised before entering the market while also taking into account the sensory properties of the product. ‘Radical innovations’ must be in a form that consumers can easily accept.     

Expanding to direct channel: Market coverages as entry barrier

A direct marketer can be either a manufacturer selling directly to the final consumers or a retailer that sells an assortment of products from multiple manufacturers. From a manufacturer's point of view, expanding to an online direct channel seems very attractive because intermediaries can be bypassed in reaching final consumers, while the Internet has substantially lowered the entry barrier. With the rapid diffusion of electronic commerce, numerous manufacturers have been considering a direct online channel as an alternative or a supplement to existing retailer channels. However, we observe in the real market that not many manufacturers are fully engaged in online retailing. One major factor frequently mentioned is the conflict with existing dealers who will not be pleased with a manufacturer's attempt to cannibalize their sales. This paper attempts to provide another explanation by comparing theoretical market coverage of manufacturers in a direct channel and a channel with intermediaries. We show that the direct channel can support fewer firms than the traditional retailer channel does, which becomes an effective entry barrier to latecomers. In equilibrium, the products are positively but finitely differentiated in their qualities, and the top two quality tiers would capture more than 75% of the direct channel's market potential (i.e., the “finiteness property”). Thus latecomers would find it difficult to gain a substantial market share against the existing pioneers in the competitive direct market unless they can find other meaningful ways to differentiate horizontally. The sales data of the online retail industry supports our finding.     

Consumer preference among fluid milks: low‐fat vs. high‐fat milk consumption in the United States

The present study uses data from the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994–1996, 1998 in order to analyse milk consumption by type, specifically high‐fat milk vs. low‐fat milk. Whereas trend analysis displays an overall increase in low‐fat milk consumption over the last few decades in the United States, a number of individuals still consume high‐fat milk varieties, and overall dietary intakes have yet to achieve recommended levels. In light of recent research regarding fat intakes, it is important to understand what factors might cause consumers to purchase high‐fat options given the number of low‐fat options available in the market. Through the use of Logistic regression, key socio‐economic and demographic variables are analysed in order to determine their impacts on the probability of consuming low‐fat milk vs. high‐fat milk. The results indicate that a number of factors do influence probability of low‐fat milk consumption as compared with high‐fat milk consumption. Most notably, probability of low‐fat milk consumption appears to be positively related to age, education level, and income level. African Americans and other minorities had a lower probability of consuming low‐fat milk when compared with White people in the sample population. Also, those respondents designated as low income or living in the South were less likely to consume low‐fat milk.     

石家庄市金银珠宝首饰消费市场调查研究

问卷调查结果显示,金银珠宝首饰广泛受到青睐,市场前景看好;规范市场秩序,保证产品质量,有助于促进金银珠宝首饰消费信心的树立;合理调整产品结构,充分满足消费者的需求,才能促进金银珠宝首饰市场的进一步繁荣。     

When Beauty Backfires: The Effects of Server Attractiveness on Consumer Taste Perceptions

The current research tests whether and how being in the presence of attractive individuals alters consumers’ evaluations of their expected dining experience and the taste of the products consumed. Our results uncover a novel phenomenon in the domains of physical attractiveness and taste perception: attractiveness does indeed impact taste perception, but its influence varies as a function of the valence of the food consumed. When the server is attractive, good food tastes better but bad food tastes worse. Six studies demonstrate this effect and, importantly, show that it occurs for male, but not female consumers and only if the male consumers are low in need for cognition. The implications of this work and potential avenues for additional research are discussed.     

Quality disclosure in the presence of strategic consumers

Consider a market for short-life products, such as smartphones, where a firm and consumers have asymmetric quality information, the firm sells products in two periods, and consumers make purchase decisions strategically. We investigate when a firm should disclose quality and the interaction between consumers' strategic behavior and the firm's disclosure behavior. We obtain several findings. First, regardless of whether consumers have low or high patience, the firm should disclose quality information if product quality is high and conceal it if product quality is low. However, for products with moderate quality levels, the firm will disclose more quality information to consumers with relatively high or low patience levels than when consumer patience is moderate. Second, firms will disclose less information when consumers behave strategically than when they are myopic. Third, when concealing quality information is an equilibrium, product prices are affected only by disclosure costs and independent of true product quality. Finally, the firm can benefit from consumers' strategic behavior and a higher disclosure cost, but greater patience might be detrimental to consumer surplus and social welfare.     

Do Biodegradable Labels Lead to an Eco-safety Halo Effect?

Biodegradable products allure consumers despite complications associated with developing consistent guidelines for degradability and potential misperceptions regarding what biodegradability means to consumers. This research investigates inferences consumers make about products bearing 100% biodegradable labels and uses the halo effect as a theoretical foundation for investigation. Past research has found that health labels can have a general halo effect and promote beliefs about attributes unrelated to health claims. The results of two experiments suggest that 100% biodegradable labeling produces a similar eco-safety halo. This eco-safety halo is characterized by assumed consumer safety and environmental attributes of 100% biodegradable products. Results are presented along with implications, limitation, and directions for future research.     

An Alternative Explanation of Consumer Product Returns from the Postpurchase Dissonance and Ecological Marketing Perspectives

Research on consumer product returns has identified product failure, dissatisfaction, and fraudulent intent as primary causes. In recent years, however, consumers return products even before experiencing dissatisfaction and when products are not defective. Moreover, most consumers who return products are ordinary scrupulous people. Ironically, product returns are on the rise while overall product quality has improved. This suggests that there are other reasons for product returns yet to be uncovered. This study critically examines such types of recently observed product‐return behaviors from the postpurchase dissonance (PPD) and ecological marketing perspectives. A proposition emerged through the critical review that in the current competitive and consumer‐centered market environment, consumers increasingly choose product return over other options identified in the literature as a viable strategy to cope with their PPD. Two empirical studies and a recent major industry study on consumer product returns provided strong support for the proposition. Managerial and future research implications of the findings are discussed.