Cooking,recipe use and food habits of college students and nutrition educators

The purpose of this study was to revisit Lewin's gatekeeper theory to observe current food role patterns (cooking experience, recipe sources, and both daily food consumption choices and eating out) with contemporary groups of college students (n = 292) and of nutrition educators (n = 26). Male college students equalled female students in cooking ability, use of family as a prime recipe source, and frequency of eating out, while exhibiting different food consumption excesses and deficiencies. Package labels and the Internet were most frequently identified as recipe sources by college students. Nutritionists surpassed both male and female college students in most attributes.     

A comparative analysis of hedonic models of nutrition information and health claims on food products: An application to soup products

Over time, the quality of data on food purchases and label information has improved such that hedonic analyses to determine the implicit prices of product attributes can be conducted using more detailed data than in the past. With the availability of more extensive data, it is important to understand the characteristics of the data and implications of using different data sources on results of analyses. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) compare results between two sources of label information and (2) develop a better understanding of the effects of product claims and nutrition information on the value of products to consumers. Trans fat claims, organic claims, private label, package size, and several nutrients were found to influence implicit prices for soup products, and the results between the two data sources are comparable.     

Health of America,Optimized in Good Taste

Abstract

Eating healthy certainly seems to have proven more than a fad. it is likely to pose greater challenges in the next century to both manufacturers, and distributors of food products. Reduction of fat in individual products and/or manufacturing substitutes lacking “minimum acceptable taste” without study of such disturbances in the overall purchasing and consuming behavior is not likely to be well rewarded. In this paper I take such an overall approach. I show that changes in our shopping lists need not be draconian to meet nutritional guidelines of even the most demanding of the health authorities. I use the Recommended Daily Allowances, the energy requirements and the special requirements of the PR1TIKIN(r) longevity centers as constraints, and minimize the sum of squared differences between our solution vector and the average American Food Consumption profile revealed in the Department of Agriculture (DA) survey of food consumption 1977-78.     

Are nutrition labels useful for the purchase of a familiar food? Evidence from Chinese consumers�� purchase of rice

Nutrition labeling has been accepted by Chinese consumers as an information source to learn about food quality and safety. This paper uses Chinese consumers’ rice purchase as an example to study how consumers use food nutrition labels to make purchase decision of a familiar food product. The goal is to understand how consumers seek information from the labels to make purchase when extensive experience with the food has been developed. Survey data from 400 random respondents in Beijing were analyzed using an empirical framework and a Mont Carlo integral econometrics model. We find that more than 50% of the consumers in Beijing have heard of food nutrition labels in general, 36.50% carefully use label information even if they are familiar with the food, and nearly 70% consider mandatory food nutrition labels as beneficial. Those who are more knowledgeable about rice nutrition labels are more likely to use the labels when purchasing rice, no matter how familiar they are with the product. Frequent users of nutrition labels are more likely to consider food mandatory nutrition labels as beneficial. This study suggests that consumers still use the label information to reassure the quality and safety of food despite a history of consumption.     

Food choice: student consumers' decision‐making process regarding food products with limited label information

Food label information theoretically facilitates consumer decision‐making and food choice, but the extent to which consumers actually use this information during decision‐making is a subject of considerable debate. Therefore, this study focused on the importance of label information in student consumers' decision‐making process when exposed to limited label information food in a cafeteria environment. Because of a paucity of research in this area, a qualitative research approach that was exploratory in nature was used, accompanied by semi‐structured interviewing and a vignette. Undergraduate students from the North‐West University, Potchefstroom Campus, in South Africa served as the target population. The findings suggest that internal and product‐related strategies are applied when food choices are made whereby the importance of label information only features in the latter strategy. Student consumers with a label interest were more inclined to use label information strategies in the absence of complete label information to base food choice on. Those with a lack of label interest made use of alternative strategies using product and personal‐related information, such as freshness and product knowledge to make decisions. The decision‐making process was more complex because of insufficient label information and product appearance, and thus previous experiences and habitual purchasing became more important to participants. Student consumers should be supported to make healthier food choices through food manufacturers supplying cafeteria products with more complete label information and by providing students with the knowledge to use label information correctly through educational programmes.     

小麦胚芽的综合利用

本文对麦胚油、谷胱甘肽、天然维生素E、麦胚凝集素的提取和麦胚焙烤食品、蛋白饮料、豆制品等麦胚食品的开发利用进行较为全面的论述,并分析小麦胚芽资源开发利用存在的问题和应用前景。     

Consumer Intentions to Buy Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeled Food Products: The Moderating Effects of Personality Differences

Although the current literature suggests that consumers in general have a desire to eat healthy and also like to obtain nutrition information about food products, there still exists a gap in terms of understanding how consumers utilize nutrition information. Drawing on consumer psychology literature, we examine how self-efficacy, healthy eating intentions, and perceptions about a simple front-of-pack nutrition label affect purchase intentions, and how these effects may be moderated by two information-processing-related personality traits—need for cognition and propensity to self-reference. We find that consumers’ intention to purchase front-of-pack nutrition-labeled products is positively affected by self-efficacy and label perceptions but is not directly driven by a general interest in healthy eating. We also find significant moderating effects from both personality traits considered.     

Profiling consumers of own brands and national brands using human personality

Traditional methods of market segmentation based on demographic variables have shown mixed results in differentiating between those who are more likely to buy own brand products and those who prefer national brands. Taking advantage of the emerging convergence in human personality research on the Big Five dimensions, we focus on the potential of human personality as a method of identifying different customer segments. Two types of own brands are considered, those labelled with the retailer's corporate name and those labelled with a name independent of the retailer. Two product categories are included, cola as an example of a low-involvement product and cosmetics as an example of a high-involvement product. The personality profiles of buyers of these and the leading national brands in each category are compared. Stepwise regression is used to identify those aspects of shopper personality that predict purchase rates of all products. Individuals who are more ‘open to experience’ report higher purchases of corporately named products, while individuals who are more ‘extrovert’ report higher purchases of national brands. Those reporting higher rates of purchase for own brands with independent names tend to be more ‘agreeable’ and ‘extrovert’. The positioning of the three types of brands against the 5 dimensions of human personality is illustrated using correspondence analysis. The clear potential to use human personality to segment and profile markets for own brands and national brands is discussed.     

Nutrition Knowledge,Gender, and Food Label Use

This paper empirically explores the relationship between nutrition knowledge, gender, and food label use. The econometric approach treats both nutrition knowledge and label use as endogenous variables when estimating the model for food label use. The results suggest that nutrition knowledge does not have an effect on label use, confirming the weak link hypothesis between knowledge and behavior. Gender effect is mainly due to differences in nutrition knowledge levels.     

New product development process: An investigation of success and failure in high-technology and non-high-technology firms

Numerous studies have examined new product success and failure in an attempt to reduce failure rates. Because they share some common themes, the previous studies were categorized into the following five groups: (1) studies focusing on causes of new product successes/failures; (2) studies examining new product development processes; (3) studies investigating new product development strategy and performance relationships; (4) studies focusing on building models to predict new product performance, and (5) studies focusing on a single factor relating to new production success/failure.To fill some of the gaps in earlier studies, and include variables that have not been linked to new product success/failure before, 151 companies were surveyed in two industries, the medical instrument technology and food processing industries. The survey contained questions on the importance of six new product idea sources: (1) final customers; (2) R&D department; (3) marketing executives; (4) other executives in the firm; (5) competitors; and (6) free-lance investors. Seven factors that were proposed to relate to new product success/failure were: (1) competition; (2) product performance; (3) marketing; (4) price competitiveness; (5) product absolescence; (6) limited number of distributors; and (7) customer switching costs. In addition, an attempt was made to investigate the effects of technology and following new product development plans and procedures on new product success/failure.Survey results indicate that using customers as the sources of new product ideas ranks number one in terms of importance for businesses in both the medical instrument technology and food processing industries. Similarly, executives who are in charge of new product development rare poor product performance as the essential cause of new product failure in the food processing industry, followed by poor marketing and pricing. In the medical instrument technology industry, however, the most important cause of new product failure was considered to be customer switching costs followed by poor product performance. This is probably because of the high investments typical for products in the medical instrument technology industry (i.e.hospital equipment). New product failure rates also differed between the two industries studied. Companies from the food processing industry, on average, had an almost 8% higher new product failure rate than companies in the medical instrument technology industry (40.18%vs.32.43%).The level of technology (medical instrument technology—high tech vs.food processing industry—low tech) may account for the difference in the new product failure rate. Results also showed that following new product development plans and procedures relates to new product success in the food processing industry, but not in the medical instrument technology industry.Using company R&D departments and free-lance inventors as sources of new product ideas is related to new product success in both industries investigated. In the food processing industry, price, competition, customer switching costs, and access to distribution channels influence new product success. Those firms that consider these variables important have higher new product success rates. Similarly, in the medical instrument technology industry, customer switching costs, access to distribution channels, product performance, product obsolescence, and marketing are important influences of new product success. Thus, firms that consider these variables when entering markets with new products may be more successful.It is possible to eliminate some causes of new product failure by entering markets earlier than the competitors. For example, early market entrants often have advantages over later entrants in selecting distribution channels. Early market entrants are also likely to create new customer switching costs for later entrants, however, this may not occur if the product introduced is not a technological breakthrough. Of course, not every new product introduced can be a technological breakthrough (e.g., many food products), but they can be new, reflecting the definition of new products.     

Japanese consumers' use of extrinsic and intrinsic cues to mitigate risky food choices

The stated preference data were used to simulate and examine consumers' valuation of important extrinsic and intrinsic cues that are associated with risky foods. This analysis generates information on how consumers assess trade‐offs between price and selected intrinsic and extrinsic cues to determine their choice among alternative products. From this, optimum level of product quality attributes (i.e. intrinsic cues) and optimum price level for import products can be derived. Also, most effective sources of communicating food safety and risk management can be identified. The results show that the country origin cue is a key factor in understanding consumers' choice behaviour for food product that entails potential risk, which may suggest that consumers are using this information as a risk‐reduction strategy.     

Consumer responses to private nutrition signals

Mandatory labelling of nutrition information with a numerical nutrition facts panel is commonly required for prepackaged food products. Recently, food manufacturers and retailers have developed simplified nutrition signals such as front-of-package labelling (e.g. the Traffic Light label) or retail shelf labels (e.g. Guiding Stars), which provide a more intuitive signal of nutritional content. Using survey data from a sample of consumers from western Canada, this paper examines consumer responses to two private nutrition labelling programs: Guiding Stars and the Traffic Light label. Consumers are more receptive to the Traffic Light label than the Guiding Stars. Ordered probit models explore the factors influencing the likelihood of using these nutrition signals. Trust in the food label, perceived difficulty of using nutrition information, nutrition knowledge, and the importance placed on nutrition influence receptively to these labels. Simplified nutrition labels are likely to complement, rather than substitute for, the existing Nutrition Facts Table.     

Brand personality inference: The moderating role of product meaning

Abstract

This study draws on categorisation theory to investigate how consumers make brand personality inferences. Its purpose is to determine the basic category at which consumers make brand personality inferences and whether this level varies for functional and symbolic products. Experimental results show that the basic level of categorisation for brand personality inferences is the brand level for symbolic products and the product type level for functional products. These findings suggest that managers may have less latitude to adopt diverse personalities for functional than symbolic products. The study also demonstrates that, in contrast to prior work, future research on brand personality should consider a wider range of sources of personality.     

Diversity in product symbolism: The case of female executive clothing

Many social roles are associated with and identified by product symbols. Yet, frequently, there is much ambiguity among consumers regarding which products denote a given role, and the specific products which communicate desired role attributes. The study examines factors influencing the diversity of clothing symbols associated with the female executive role. A conceptual framework focusing on role-related variables, aesthetic versus instrumental attitudes towards clothing, and information sources consulted in relation to clothing choice is developed and tested on data from a national survey of female executives.     

Price rather than nutrition information the main influencer of consumer food purchasing behaviour in South Africa: A qualitative study

In South Africa there has been a paucity of data on food and nutrition labelling since the publication of the new food‐labelling legislation. This study aimed to explore whether the nutrition information on food products influences consumer purchasing behaviour; reasons for reading or ignoring nutrition information on labels, and to investigate expectations regarding food / nutrition labelling. Nine focus‐group discussions were held with adult consumers (N=67) in Cape Town, South Africa. Food price was sometimes the only consideration when selecting food products, irrespective of quality and nutritional value. When buying products for the first time, consumers were more inclined to read the nutrition information compared to habitual purchases or buying known brands. The list of ingredients, nutrient content claims and specific health endorsement logos were considered important. Reasons for reading nutrition information were mainly to assess the nutritional value or health properties, to avoid certain ingredients/allergens and to determine quality. Consumers struggled to understand the information on labels, specifically the nutrition information table. A lack of time or interest, price concerns and trust in labelling information also emerged as reasons why consumers ignore the nutrition information. There is a need for simpler food labelling, more graphics, and less complex terminology, information overload and quantitative information. It is recommended that a standardised front‐of‐package labelling scheme and a single health endorsement logo for South Africa be considered. More should be done to educate consumers on utilising the information on food labels correctly, in order for them to make healthier food choices.     

The Pivotal Role of User-Friendly Food Label and Personality Traits on Intention to Consume Packaged Food Products

The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of friendly food labels on packaged food consumption intention. A questionnaire method was adopted for data collection. The data were collected from 14 Pakistani universities. The systematic random sampling technique was used to draw the required sample size. The sample size was 365, where 730 questionnaires were distributed among students of 14 universities to achieve the required sample. Findings disclosed that a friendly food label has a positive and significant relation with packaged food consumption intention. But in the intervening effect of personality traits between exogenous and endogenous variables, only three personality traits have positive significant mediation—extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness—whereas no mediation was found with neuroticism and agreeableness. Studies have unveiled the fact that there is need to investigate the decisiveness of personality traits for the selection of healthy food (Friedman & Kern, 2014).     

What Initiatives Are British Food Retailers Taking to Improve Children’s Health and Nutrition?

Along with food manufacturers, retailers contribute directly to the national diet. While efforts to reformulate private-label products have been assessed, little research considers other voluntary initiatives to impact public health. We explore efforts targeting children’s health and nutrition. Making use of the corporate social responsibility reports of the seven leading retailers from 2006 to 2011, we examine the types of actions, by which retail chains and when. Before 2008, most retailers reported on initiatives promoting children’s nutrition education and physical activity in schools. Since 2009, references to such programs have decreased, with a shift toward child wellness. We find that retailers differ in approaches and commitment. Those with larger market shares mention initiatives more frequently. Most activities are related to nutrition education, developing cooking skills, and promotion of physical activity and not product reformulation. Our research suggests these efforts are not coordinated, might be misplaced, and do not persist over time.     

Comparing sustainable consumption patterns across product sectors

In this paper, we present findings from two qualitative studies where we explored sustainable consumption practices through examining consumers' information search and decision-making processes for recent purchases of five categories of goods/services: fast moving consumer goods (such as foodstuffs and household products), white goods (such as fridges and washing machines), small electrical products (such as TVs and computers), green energy tariffs (such as electricity from renewable sources) and tourism (such as flights). This research has provided us with a set of rich data which explores the nature and extent of sustainable consumption practices across different product sectors. A comparative analysis has allowed us to draw out patterns of consumer behaviour for different product and service types. Our findings suggest that even the same green consumer will not use the same information sources or decision-making criteria, consider the same options or focus on the same industry actors, for products in different sectors. However, we have identified some degree of consistency in purchases within sectors. We present these sector-specific patterns of consumer behaviour and highlight differences in the criteria utilized and the research norms in each sector.