| Summary: | Consumers have increasing choice in food products and within
the social environment of today's consumer, the factors of
demand are increasingly complex. Food is no longer simply a
primary necessity for survival, it is a leisure and family
activity, the participation in which, takes up a
considerable amount of time. Today, food is a social and a
political issue - something about which people have
opinions, be it food quality, healthiness, or the food
supply itself. It is also central to consumer's self-image.
There is a large sector of the economy which supplies
food demand, and this sector is itself now under
considerable scrutiny from the consumer.
This thesis examines consumer behaviour and attitudes
towards food, with particular reference to the health
aspects of food issues. It describes a programme of
qualitative and quantitative research - group
discussions, personal interviews and postal questionnaires.
The programme examines milk (particularly low fat milk) as a
diet and health case study; knowledge about food; attitudes
towards food; the food industry and related issues; shopping
behaviour and eating habits.
It is important to both the consumer and the supplier of
food, that consumer behaviour and attitudes are understood
as fully as possible. This research highlights the
misunderstandings between consumer and producer, emphasises
the mistrust of the consumer for the producer and concludes
with the need for communication between them. The thesis
discusses the background to diet and health as an issue,
describes the development of the current consumer
environment and gives a profile of today's consumer. It then
goes on to detail the research - two quantitative surveys,
each undertaken over two years and a series of group
discussions. The final section summarises the findings of
each individual piece of the programme as a whole for
various groups: food Oroducers; food manufacturers; food
retailers; advertisers; the media; health professionals; the
consumer; consumer organisations and government.
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