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The IFAMR is published quarterly by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association. For complete library visit: www.ifama.org

The study applies quantile regression to identify determinants of the entire distribution of food expenditure, and quantify their effects amongGhana’s urban household subgroups. The results indicate that among the significant factors the largest effect in descending order havelocation, marital status, education, household composition, age, and income.

The cookie consumption and purchase characteristics of households were investigated in six cities in Uganda using household survey data. Cookies can be fortified with vitamins to improve child nutrition. The application of a Logit model permitted the identification of factors significantly affecting household decision to eat cookies. They are household food buyer/preparer’s age, employment status, education level, household monthly income, household location, number of children from 4 to 18 years-old and its squared value. The purchase decision was modeled as a two-stage or double-hurdle process. The household purchase decision is shaped by its main food buyer/preparer’s employment status and education level, household location, household monthly income, and the number of children age 4 to 18 years old as well as its squared value. Higher values of these variables, but the squared number of children encourage the purchase decision. However, the decision of purchase counts of cookie boxes is shaped by another set of variables, including the frequency of eating cookies, household location, household monthly income, the number of children age 4 to 18, the type of cookie box purchased (cookie purchase is made as per piece purchase and per packet purchase ), and its price. The findings provide important insights for the local cookie producers and marketers, as the identified characteristics and the directional effects are of direct use in the formulation of the marketing and merchandising decisions. The findings are also valuable for policymakers, who concerned about improving nutrition for school children.

The objective of this study was to identify profiles of consumers frequenting three types of food retail outlets- grocery stores, farmer markets, and street stalls- to purchase food in a transition economy in Bulgaria. This study estimated two-stage decision models to distinguish between the two decisions of choosing to shop at a particular outlet and how often to shop. Retail-outlet selection and shopping frequency were affected by different sets of sociodemographic characteristics. In particular, household income was a major factor influencing the selection of farmer markets and street stands, but had no effect on the selection of and shopping frequency at grocery stores.

The decision of how much time to allocate to meal preparation is an endogenous variable to be determined by the opportunity cost of time, preference between market and nonmarket goods and leisure, and household production technology. Using consumer survey data collected in Bulgaria in 1997, this study measured the effect of household income on the amount of time allocated to meal preparation after controlling the effects of demographic, socio-economic and other characteristics of households. We used the first-hurdle dominance model to distinguish non-meal preparers from meal preparers. Since the overall pattern of allocating time between market work, household activity and leisure in a particular country is likely to be conditional on the stage of its economic development, this study presents a unique opportunity to assess the rationality of the time allocation behavior of consumers in an economy in transition from a centrally-planned to a market-oriented system. Results showed that household income did not influence the decision of how much time to allocate to meal preparation. While the insignificant linkage between income and time allocation to meal preparation could be due to the differences in preference and household production technology. It can be also attributed to the legacy of four decades of a central-planning system and underdeveloped food manufacturing and service industries. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Using nationwide food consumption survey data collected in Bulgaria in 1997, this study examines how food intake patterns of the unemployed and pensioners differ from patterns of the employed. During transition, the unemployed and pensioners are particularly vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and chronic diseases resulting from unbalanced and unhealthy diets as well as food shortage.

The market for functional foods in industrialized nations has shown rapid growth over the last decades, sales being estimated at $9 billion in 1995. The emerging market economies of Central and Eastern Europe provide a unique opportunity to study consumer behavior regarding the consumption of functional foods. This paper examines demographic and socio-economic factors affecting consumer beliefs in dietary properties of food in Bulgaria, one of the economies in transition. Estimated results are expected to provide information useful for developing marketing strategies for dietary food product marketing and assist in the formulation of policies and education programs to assure that consumers make informed choices in product selection. Educational attainment level, gender, household size, and regional variables were found to have statistically significant effects on consumer beliefs in dietary properties of food in Bulgaria.

Consumers' willingness to pay for cowpea products was analyzed by a multi-ordered response model. The analysis indicated that socio-demographic factors are weakly linked to consumers' willingness to pay while product characteristics are strongly linked. Marketing promotion is possible. Thus, akara products, made from cowpea paste, have potential for extending the utilization of cowpeas.

American consumers are exposed to thousands of new food products on supermarket shelves each year. For new products, such as akara products, it is crucial to determine consumer preferences and buying intentions. In this study, 346 randomly selected consumers were surveyed to reveal their preference for five akara products prepared from cowpea flour. Preference data were analyzed through use of a multi-ordered response model. Model results indicate that socio-demographic factors were weakly linked to explaining consumer preferences while product characteristics were much more important in preference considerations.