Consumer behavior of convenience food: a study on consumption in São Paulo

• Grant number: 13/21390-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2014
• End date: May 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Mario Otavio Batalha
• Grantee: Mario Otavio Batalha
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Lívia Maria Borges Raimundo ; Pierre Sans

Abstract

The trend for convenience is driven by the desire to create more free time, which reflects in the preparation and consumption of food. Changes in eating habits, changes in attitudes within the act of cooking and lifestyles increasingly troubled foster demand for foods that assist consumers in minimizing the time, mental and physical efforts demanded in its preparation, consumption and cleanup required. Brazil lacks studies on this trend, what makes it interesting to develop a typology of consumers of convenience foods, based on an analytical model to evaluate consumption habits, which lists the main determinants of consumption of these products and explain their interaction. This study intends to investigate ways of buying, preparation methods, quality aspects, situations and consumer buying motives of traditional convenience foods, in order to generate information that enables socioeconomic agents from agribusiness chains to increase their competitiveness. The methods include literature review about the topic, followed by a survey to be conducted with consumers residing in the state of São Paulo, which will seek to test their attitudes towards convenience. The data will be treated with the technique of structural equation modeling, in order to test the hypotheses proposed. It is expected to determine which key factors are sustaining the growing trend of consumption of convenience foods, and also propose a typology for convenience food products available in the Brazilian market, based on the perception of consumers about such products. (AU)