The purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding of Daegu and Gyeongbuk area housewives' knowledge and consumption patterns for organic produce and processed foods. This research will provide the fundamental information needed to help...
The purpose of this research is to develop a better understanding of Daegu and Gyeongbuk area housewives' knowledge and consumption patterns for organic produce and processed foods. This research will provide the fundamental information needed to help guide people toward a healthy diet. For this survey, 270 housewives living in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk area were surveyed about their demographic information and their understanding and consumption patterns of both organic produce and processed food.
The results were as follows.
First, 95.2% of the housewives knew about organic produce and 90% of them had had the opportunity to purchase organic produce. Most respondents (61.7%) reported less than once a year for the frequency of purchase and 93.4% of them said that organic produce was more expensive than regular produce. 51.4% reported buying organic produce because it was safer from agricultural chemicals. This response showed that the housewives' understanding about food safety was high. Among the organic produce purchased, the following was the order of preference. Most housewives (37.0%) preferred vegetables, 28.8% preferred grain and 12.3% preferred fruits and nuts. Among the vegetables purchased, the most preferred was broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers and onions respectively. The most preferred reason (40.8%) not to purchase organic produce was the expensive cost, while 29.6% answered that they didn't trust the authenticity of the organic products. When asked whether they plan to purchase organic produce again, 63% said yes and 37% answered no. When asked what they would purchase if they were to purchase organic produce again, 70.6% responded vegetables.
Second, Processed food was used by almost all the housewives (99.3%) and most of them (26.1%) reported using processed foods once a week. The favored place of purchase (83.6%) was in the mega discount markets and the ease of use (49.6%) and the shorter time required to prepare food (23.1%) were cited as the most common reasons for using processed food. Most respondents (76.5%) complained about artificial additives in processed food. Processed meat and fish, such as ham and sausage, were the processed foods most preferred (44.1%). The criteria used for product selection was indicated as company name (26.5%), expiration date (23.5%) and taste (19.8%). The most trusted processed food providers were larger companies (53.4%) followed by the agricultural cooperatives (26.1%).
Third, Housewives' knowledge of organic produce was different according to the length of marriage (p<0.01), occupation (p<0.001), food expenditure (p<0.05) and the style of housework (p<0.001). The survey revealed differences in the following items. The incentive to buy was related to length of marriage (p<0.01) and occupation (p<0.001), the frequency of purchase was related to occupation (p<0.001) and the purchasing experience was related to the residential area (p<0.05). The reasons for using processed food were different among the styles of housework (p<0.05). Cross-analysis revealed no difference between whether the organic produce would be purchased or not and the situation in which processed food was used.