1 AIT Asian Institute of Technology

Determinants of ready to cook and ready to eat food : a case study of four cities in Norhthern India

AuthorImtiyaz, Hena
Call NumberAIT Diss no.AB-21-
Subject(s)Convenience foods--India
Consumers--India--Attitudes
Food preferences--India

NoteA Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in AgriBusiness Management
PublisherAsian Institute of Technology
AbstractInspite of impressive market growth and economic importance of convenience food in India, comprehensive research regarding the role of socio-demographic, physical, economic, product, marketing and social and psychological determinants on convenience food i.e. ready to cook (RTC) and ready to eat (RTE) food choice is scarce. The aim of the first objective was to examine the role of determinants influencing consumers’ perception towards RTC and RTE food. The aim of the second objective was to assess the role of a wide range of determinants on purchase intention, consumption and satisfaction of consumers towards RTC and RTE food. The aim of the third objective was to examine the relationship between the determinants and purchase intention, consumption and satisfaction of consumers towards RTC and RTE food. The study was carried out in four major cities i.e. Allahabad, Lucknow, Noida and Aligarh of Northern India. The non-probability purposive sampling method was adopted for the recruitment of participants/ consumers. The participants comprised of students, teaching and non-teaching staff from universities / colleges and professionals from the corporate sector. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 550 consumers across the four cities of Northern India. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Cronbach’s alpha, factor loading, composite reliability, average variance extracted and correlations demonstrated good internal consistency and reliability of scale items as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs of the questionnaire. The model fit indices revealed that measurement and structural models fitted well with data. Convenience was the most important factor influencing consumers’ perception towards RTC and RTE food, followed by price, safety attribute, sensory appeal, healthiness, quality attributes and religious and ethical beliefs. The path analysis of the structural models revealed that marital status, employment status, meal patterns, attitude, time scarcity, lack of cooking skills, lack of meal preparation confidence, lack of interest for physical and mental effort in cooking, familiarity, lack of motivation, family income, food price, food availability, technological advances, sensory appeal, quality attributes, safety attributes, healthiness, brand image, store image, novel food processing techniques, packaging characteristics, product information, advertisement, convenience orientation, moral attitude, mood, spiritual concern, religious beliefs and ethical values had significant and positive influence on purchase intention, consumption and satisfaction of consumers towards RTC and RTE food. Convenience orientation, time scarcity, marital status, food price, sensory appeal, brand image and product information were the key determinants which influence purchase intention, consumption and satisfaction of consumers for RTC and RTE food. The path analysis of the structural models also revealed that gender, age, availability of cooking resources, place of origin and social status were not linked to purchase intention, consumption and satisfaction of consumers towards RTC and RTE food. In light of the outcome of the present study, it is important for policy makers, food processing industries and marketing agencies to understand the role of aforementioned determinants to provide safe and healthy RTC and RTE food to consumers as well as to promote their products in Indian markets.
Year2021
TypeDissertation
SchoolSchool of Environment, Resources, and Development
DepartmentDepartment of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB))
Academic Program/FoSAgribusiness Management (AB)
Chairperson(s)Vimolwan Yukongdi;Soni, Peeyush (Co-Chairperson);
Examination Committee(s)Thi, Phuoc Lai Nguyen;Salin, K.R.;
Scholarship Donor(s)AIT Fellowship;
DegreeThesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2021


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