Motivation Factors of Consumers’ Food Choice

Consumer perception of food products is a very complex phenomenon that is influenced by a wide range of characteristics. The major motivation for food science and nutrition should be sensual features, cost/price balance, and consumer health (sufficient/balanced nutrition). However, there are important differences between theory and reality. Food choice is a complex process influenced by a number of factors related to the product, the consumer, and the consumption context. The role of the consumer in determining the market success of a product is of maximum relevance. Consumer perceptions and preferences are in motion and in change. Understanding and analyzing consumers’ motivation factors, perception and preferences are important both food industry and also governments. In this study, some of these factors were discussed and aimed to identify them with reasons.

Brazilian adolescents’ food and beverages choices during school break: The Brazilian school meal program or food from other establishments?

The purpose of this study was to identify the adolescents’ food preferences during school break. This was a qualitative cross-sectional study with 83 adolescents from a public school in the city of S?o Paulo. The participants answered the following question: During the school break do you usually eat or drink something? Please justify your answer. The adolescents’ answers were analyzed through a Brazilian qualitative technique called Discourse of the Collective Subject. The ideas were: School Meal Program (36.2%), don’t eat anything (26.7%), bring from other establishments (20.1%) and drink water or juice (17.1%). The adolescents who chose the School Meal Program claimed they had no other options. On the other hand, the participants who refused the meal did so because they disliked it and as a result brought snacks from home or food markets. The Discourse of the Collective Subject helps the investigator to understand the ideas related to food and nutrition of a collectivity.

Differences between Occasional Organic and Regular Organic Food Consumers in Germany

It was the aim of this study to understand the differences between occasional organic consumers (OOC) and regular organic food consumers (ROC). A total of 571 consumers, interviewed directly after grocery shopping, were classified as conventional, occasional organic or regular organic consumers depending on the number of organically produced items bought. In order to gain encompassing insights on the differences between the ROC and OOC consumer groups, a large set of psychological and socio-demographic factors was studied. They differ with respect to general food choice motives with OOC placing significantly less importance on animal welfare, food security, environmental protection and more importance on caloric content, convenience and price compared to ROC;with respect to beliefs about the consequences of organic food consumption OOC expect greater expense, less choice, no increase in vitamins and no improvement in taste compared to ROC, and finally OOC show a less positive attitude, weaker social norms and lower intentions of buying organic food regularly in the future and give a lower importance in their lives to protection of the environment. OOC finally prefer different grocery stores and use a larger variety of stores than ROC.

Can the 5-colour nutrition label“Nutri-Score”improve the health value of food?

Obesity and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases were virtually non-existent before the advent of industrialized food production.In recent years,a 5-color front-of-package food label(“Nutri-Score”)seeking to demonstrate the overall nutritional value and healthiness of food products has been adopted for voluntary use in some European countries.The Nutri-Score is mainly based on the sugar,salt and calorie content of food items.The present viewpoint discusses whether the Nutri-Score correctly identifies healthy and unhealthy food items and how large an impact the Nutri-Score may have on consumers’choices.Furthermore,other benefits as well as hidden costs and drawbacks in implementing the Nutri-Score will be presented.Despite its reducing of the complex information regarding the contents of foods,the Nutri-Score may provide easily intelligible information regarding healthy nutrition and may become a valuable tool in educating consumers and influencing their food choices.The Nutri-Score may not become a game-changer in combating poor nutrition,but it is helpful in the right circumstances.If an inexpensive public policy,such as front-of-package labeling,makes some positive contribution,there is no reason to argue against its adoption.Even small effects may be relevant when a measure is adopted at population level.

Eurasian blackbird predated by wild Rhinopithecus roxellana in the Qinling Mountains,China

Although there are some reports that have described primates eating animals,it is unknown whether predation on vertebrates exists in herbivorous leaf-eating primates.We have witnessed firsthand wild Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys(Rhinopithecus roxellana)preying on and consuming Eurasian blackbirds(Turdus merula)in the Qinling Mountains of China.This event suggests that R.roxellana,which has previously been described as a herbivorous leaf-eating primate,may be partially carnivorous and the correct classification of this species would be omnivorous.Furthermore,food-share behavior among higher-ranked members occurs in a one-male unit when vertebrate prey is hunted by this species.