Perception of food quality among Saudi consumers
Main Article Content
Keywords
consumer preference, extrinsic characteristic, intrinsic characteristics, food quality, food quality dimension, quality perception, willingness to pay
Abstract
Consumers’ perceptions of quality of food products increase their purchasing likelihood. This study provides a framework for exploring consumers’ perceptions of food quality for food product development and food marketing strategies by providing vital information related to consumer behavior and food choice. It establishes a method for measuring food quality perceptions through a validated questionnaire. It was found that adult consumers in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia, perceive intrinsic food characteristics higher than of extrinsic food characteristics. Characteristics related to product safety, nutritional value, and sensory attributes were the most highly valued aspects. Sociodemographic factors such as age, marital status, education, occupation, income, and work/study in the food field were found to affect Saudi consumers’ perceptions of food quality. Furthermore, marital status, education, occupation, and income were the major classification factors for perception trends. Food identity and processing, food health prosperity, food safety and presentation, and food sensory attributes were the major qualities perceived by Saudi consumers.
References
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Mascarello, G., Pinto, A., Parise, N., Crovato, S. and Ravarotto, L., 2015. The perception of food quality. Profiling Italian consumers. Appetite. 89: 175–182. 10.1016/j.appet.2015.02.014
Palma, M., Collart, A. and Chammoun, C., 2015. Information asymmetry in consumer perceptions of quality-differentiated food products. Journal of Consumer Affairs. 49(3): 596–612. 10.1111/joca.12053
Röhr, A., Lüddecke, K., Drusch, S., Müller, M. and Alvensleben, R., 2005. Food quality and safety—Consumer perception and public health concern. Food Control. 16(8): 649–655. 10.1016/j.foodcont.2004.06.001
Roman, S., Sanchez-Siles, L. and Siegrist, M., 2017. The importance of food naturalness for consumers: Results of a systematic review. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 67: 44–57. 10.1016/j.tifs.2017.06.010
Rubio, N., Oubiña, J. and Villaseñor, N., 2014. Brand awareness–Brand quality inference and consumer’s risk perception in store brands of food products. Food Quality and Preference. 32: 289–298. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2013.09.006
Sabur, A., Alsharief, L. and Amer, S., 2022. Determinants of healthy food consumption and the effect of Saudi food related policies on the adult Saudi population, a National Descriptive Assessment 2019. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science. 10(3): 1058–1076. 10.12944/CRNFSJ.10.3.21
Siegrist, M., Stampfli, N. and Kastenholz, H. 2008. Consumers’ willingness to buy functional foods. The influence of carrier, benefit and trust. Appetite. 51(3): 526–529. 10.1016/j.appet.2008.04.003
Silv, W., Udugama, J. and Mudalige, U., 2012. Consumer perceptions on quality attributes of liquid food products: An empirical analysis based on urban households. The Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 7(2): 85–96. 10.4038/jas.v7i2.4409
Statista, 2024. Food market revenue in Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2029. [cited 2024 Aug 01]. Available from: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1456808/saudi-arabia-food-market-revenue
Thøgersen, J., Pedersen, S., Paternoga, M., Schwendel, E. and Aschemann-Witzel, J., 2017. How important is country-of-origin for organic food consumers? A review of the literature and suggestions for future research. British Food Journal. 119(3): 542–557. 10.1108/bfj-09-2016-0406
Van, Rijswijk W. and Frewer, L., 2008. Consumer perceptions of food quality and safety and their relation to traceability. British Food Journal. 110(10): 1034–1046. 10.1108/00070700810906642
Wansink, B., Tal, A. and Brumberg, A., 2014. Ingredient-based food fears and avoidance: Antecedents and antidotes. Food Quality and Preference. 38: 40–48. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2014.05.015
Wansink, B., van Ittersum, K. and Painter, J., 2005. How descriptive food names bias sensory perceptions in restaurants. Food Quality and Preference. 16(5): 393–400. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2004.06.005
Wong, S., Hsu, C. and Chen, H., 2018. To buy or not to buy? Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions for suboptimal food. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15(7): 1431. 10.3390/ijerph15071431
Zaibet, L., Bachta, M., Lajimi, A. and Abbassi, M., 2004. Consumers’ perception of food product quality in Tunisia. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing. 16(2): 165–178. 10.1300/J047v16n02_10
Al Otaibi, N. and Yasmeen, K., 2014. Saudi consumer’s shopping behavior: Descriptive analysis. Journal of Sociological Research. 5(2): 75–94. 10.5296/jsr.v5i2.6641
Alissa, N., 2024. What are the perceptions of healthy food choices? A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia. Italian Journal of Food Science. 36(2): 195–204. 10.15586/ijfs.v36i2.2506
Almaghrabi, M., 2023. Assessing public interest, risk perceptions, and awareness of food safety in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study. Food Control. 151: 109810. 10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.109810
Baig, M., Al-Zahrani, K., Schneider, F., Straquadine, G. and Mourad, M., 2019a. Food waste posing a serious threat to sustainability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia–A systematic review. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 26(7): 1743–1752 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.06.004
Baig, M., Gorski, I. and Neff, R., 2019b., Understanding and addressing waste of food in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences. 26(6): 1633–1648. 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.08.030
Baliwati, Y., Diana, R., Martianto, D., Sukandar, D. and Hendriadi, A., 2023. Development and validation of a social impact questionnaire for household food waste. MethodsX. 11: 102499. 10.1016/j.mex.2023.102499
Basri, N., Ahmad, R., Anuar, F. and Ismail, K., 2016. Effect of word of mouth communication on consumer purchase decision: Malay upscale restaurant. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences. 222: 324–331. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.175
Bearth, A., Cousin, M. and Siegrist, M., 2014. The consumer’s perception of artificial food additives: Influences on acceptance, risk and benefit perceptions. Food Quality and Preference. 38: 14–23. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2014.05.008
Brečić, R., Mesić, Ž. and Cerjak, M., 2017. Importance of intrinsic and extrinsic quality food characteristics by different consumer segments. British Food Journal. 119(4): 845–862. 10.1108/bfj-06-2016-0284
Chamhuri, N. and Batt, P., 2015. Consumer perceptions of food quality in Malaysia. British Food Journal. 117(3): 1168–1187. 10.1108/BFJ-08-2013-0235
Cranage, D., Conklin, M. and Lambert, C., 2004. Effect of nutrition information in perceptions of food quality, consumption behavior and purchase intentions. Journal of Foodservice Business Research. 7(1): 43–61. 10.1300/J369v07n01_04
Espejel, J., Fandos, C. and Flavián, C., 2009. The influence of consumer involvement on quality signals perception. British Food Journal. 111(11): 1212–1236. 10.1108/00070700911001040
General Authority for Statistics. Annual statistical report: Chapter 11: Labor market and social protection—Average monthly wage (salary) of employed persons (15 years and above) by region, sex & nationality 2019 A.D. 2019. [cited 2024 Jun 15]. Available from: https://www.stats.gov.sa/ar/1017
General Authority for Statistics, 2018. Databases: Social classification of Saudi population. [cited 2024 Jun 15]. Available from: https://www.stats.gov.sa/ar/1039
General Authority for Statistics, 2023. SaudiCensus 2010–2022. [cited 2024 June 15]. Available from: https://portal.saudicensus.sa/portal/public/1/15/101462?type=TABLE
Hansen, T., 2005a. Understanding consumer perception of food quality: The cases of shrimps and cheese. British Food Journal. 107(7): 500–525. 10.1108/00070700510606909
Hansen, T., 2005b. Rethinking consumer perception of food quality. Journal of Food Products Marketing. 11(2): 75–93. 10.1300/J038v11n02_05
Hassig, A., Hartmann, C., Sanchez-Siles, L. and Siegrist, M., 2023. Perceived degree of food processing as a cue for perceived healthiness: The NOVA system mirrors consumers’ perceptions. Food Quality and Preference. (110): 104944. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.104944
Hsu, J., Sung, C. and Tseng, J., 2023. Willingness-to-pay for ready-to-eat clean label food products at convenient stores. Future Foods. (7): 100237. 10.1016/j.fufo.2023.100237
Ipsos, 2020. Food trend 2020: The changing food habits & attitudes of consumers in Saudi Arabia during the pandemic. [cited 2024 Aug 01]. Available from: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2020-12/food_trends_2020_-_ksa.pdf
Kovacs, I. and Keresztes, E., 2022. Perceived consumer effectiveness and willingness to pay for credence product attributes of sustainable foods. Sustainability. 14: 4338. 10.3390/su14074338
Magnier, L., Schoormans, J. and Mugge, R., 2016. Judging a product by its cover: Packaging sustainability and perceptions of quality in food products. Food Quality and Preference. 53: 132–142. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.06.006
Mascarello, G., Pinto, A., Parise, N., Crovato, S. and Ravarotto, L., 2015. The perception of food quality. Profiling Italian consumers. Appetite. 89: 175–182. 10.1016/j.appet.2015.02.014
Palma, M., Collart, A. and Chammoun, C., 2015. Information asymmetry in consumer perceptions of quality-differentiated food products. Journal of Consumer Affairs. 49(3): 596–612. 10.1111/joca.12053
Röhr, A., Lüddecke, K., Drusch, S., Müller, M. and Alvensleben, R., 2005. Food quality and safety—Consumer perception and public health concern. Food Control. 16(8): 649–655. 10.1016/j.foodcont.2004.06.001
Roman, S., Sanchez-Siles, L. and Siegrist, M., 2017. The importance of food naturalness for consumers: Results of a systematic review. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 67: 44–57. 10.1016/j.tifs.2017.06.010
Rubio, N., Oubiña, J. and Villaseñor, N., 2014. Brand awareness–Brand quality inference and consumer’s risk perception in store brands of food products. Food Quality and Preference. 32: 289–298. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2013.09.006
Sabur, A., Alsharief, L. and Amer, S., 2022. Determinants of healthy food consumption and the effect of Saudi food related policies on the adult Saudi population, a National Descriptive Assessment 2019. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science. 10(3): 1058–1076. 10.12944/CRNFSJ.10.3.21
Siegrist, M., Stampfli, N. and Kastenholz, H. 2008. Consumers’ willingness to buy functional foods. The influence of carrier, benefit and trust. Appetite. 51(3): 526–529. 10.1016/j.appet.2008.04.003
Silv, W., Udugama, J. and Mudalige, U., 2012. Consumer perceptions on quality attributes of liquid food products: An empirical analysis based on urban households. The Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 7(2): 85–96. 10.4038/jas.v7i2.4409
Statista, 2024. Food market revenue in Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2029. [cited 2024 Aug 01]. Available from: https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1456808/saudi-arabia-food-market-revenue
Thøgersen, J., Pedersen, S., Paternoga, M., Schwendel, E. and Aschemann-Witzel, J., 2017. How important is country-of-origin for organic food consumers? A review of the literature and suggestions for future research. British Food Journal. 119(3): 542–557. 10.1108/bfj-09-2016-0406
Van, Rijswijk W. and Frewer, L., 2008. Consumer perceptions of food quality and safety and their relation to traceability. British Food Journal. 110(10): 1034–1046. 10.1108/00070700810906642
Wansink, B., Tal, A. and Brumberg, A., 2014. Ingredient-based food fears and avoidance: Antecedents and antidotes. Food Quality and Preference. 38: 40–48. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2014.05.015
Wansink, B., van Ittersum, K. and Painter, J., 2005. How descriptive food names bias sensory perceptions in restaurants. Food Quality and Preference. 16(5): 393–400. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2004.06.005
Wong, S., Hsu, C. and Chen, H., 2018. To buy or not to buy? Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions for suboptimal food. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15(7): 1431. 10.3390/ijerph15071431
Zaibet, L., Bachta, M., Lajimi, A. and Abbassi, M., 2004. Consumers’ perception of food product quality in Tunisia. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing. 16(2): 165–178. 10.1300/J047v16n02_10
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Oct 29, 2024
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Abdulrahman Alshuniaber, M. (2024). Perception of food quality among Saudi consumers. Italian Journal of Food Science, 36(4), 347-358. https://doi.org/10.15586/ijfs.v36i4.2662
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How to Cite
Abdulrahman Alshuniaber, M. (2024). Perception of food quality among Saudi consumers. Italian Journal of Food Science, 36(4), 347-358. https://doi.org/10.15586/ijfs.v36i4.2662