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Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana

Received: 8 January 2015     Accepted: 14 January 2015     Published: 2 February 2015
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Abstract

Edible oil is one of the most important components of food and a major source of energy for human survival. It also contains saturated fats which when consumed in excess can result in developing coronary diseases. Most Ghanaian households use edible oils in preparation of their day-to-day meals. However there is a paucity of literature on the knowledge, preference and perceptions of consumers on these edible oils. Thus, the objective of the study was to ascertain consumer’s knowledge, perceptions and preference of edible oil. A cross sectional approach was used for study. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 206 respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and results presented using descriptive statistics (tables, charts, frequencies and percentages). The empirical evidence suggests that greater majority of consumers (95.6%) generally use refined edible oils in their daily meals. However, these consumers lack the requisite knowledge on saturated fats and unsaturated fats content of edible oils. As a result, these consumers purchased the refined edible oils because they perceived them to be healthy to consume, quality and nutritious. Moreover, unrefined edible oils were perceived to be substandard in packaging and poor in quality. Regarding the consumers preference in size, it was identified that majority of consumers (58%) prefer edible oils in medium size (1.5-5L) containers. Besides, consumers of unrefined edible oils (80.1%) purchased mostly in open markets, whiles refined edible oils (49.5%) were purchased mostly in supermarkets. Edible oils were mostly used by consumers in frying various foods and preparation of different kind of stews. The findings are very revealing to marketers as they exhibit significant characteristics of consumer behaviour as far the purchase of edible oils are concerned.

Published in Science Journal of Business and Management (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13
Page(s) 17-23
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Consumers, Knowledge, Perception, Preference, Unrefined Edible Oil, Refined Edible Oil

References
[1] Scott-Thomas, C. (2011), Consumer survey finds growing food safety concerns. Retrieved from URL:http://monile.foodnavidator-usa.com/suppliers2/consumer-survey-finds-growi ng-food-safety-concerns#.VHhjPX3LfMI [November 23, 2014]
[2] Meenakshi N., Kiran P and Madhukar P., (n.d.). Unrefined coconut oil. Retrieved from http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oil/unrefined-coconut-oil-html [November 12, 2014]
[3] Prema R. (2013). An empirical study on brand preference towards edible oil in rural areas with special preference to Coimbatore district. Indian journal of applied research, 3(3): 223-227
[4] Meenakshi N., Kiran P and Madhukar P., (n.d.). Refined coconut oil. Retrieved from http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oil/refined-coconut-oil-html [ November 12, 2014]
[5] Klutse, F. D. (2008). Demand for Palm Oil Increases. Daily Guide. Retrieved from http://www.modernghana.com. [ November 12, 2014]
[6] Dhinesh, B.S. & Venkateshwaran, P.S. (2010). Marketing problems of edible oil industry. Asian Journal of Management Research. ISSN 2229-3795: 58-65
[7] GraphicOnline. $1.5 billion spent on importation in 2013. . Retrieved from http://graphic.com.gh/business/businessnews/18307-1-5-billion-spent-on-importation-in-2013.htm l [November 5, 2014]
[8] Begum, M. R. (2009). Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics. 3rd ed. Sterling Publishers PVT Ltd, India.
[9] Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Ghana Health Service (GHS) and ICF Macro, Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (2008). Accra, Ghana.
[10] Ministry of Health’s-Dietary and Physical Activity Guidelines for Ghana (2010). Monitoring African Food And Agricultural Policies -Analysis of incentives and disincentives for palm oil in Ghana (2013).
[11] Dasgupta, R. and Pareek, H.(2010), Brand Pruning-A Wisely Used Tool in the Marketers’ Arsenal, Indian Journal of Marketing. 40(1): 1-12
[12] Nwachukwu, I.N. and Uteh, O.U. (2013). Consumers knowledge and preference of cooking oil in Abia State, Nigeria. Nigeria Agricultural Journal, Journal Home, 41(1): 141-145
[13] Rajaveni, N. and Ramasamy, M. (2011). Consumer brand preference on the consumption of cooking oil of various income groups in Chennai. Available at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1894093 [Retrieved: July 13, 2014]
[14] Raut, V and Walveker, S.(2014). Consumer preference for edible oil in Yewalewadi of Pune Region. International Journal of Research and Development- A Management Review, 3(3): 1-5
[15] Food Safety Authority of Ireland (200). A research study into consumers attitude to food labeling. Available at http://www.fsai.ie/workarea/downloadAsset.aspx?id=8900 [ Retreived: August 17, 2014]
[16] Akpoyomare, O.B, Adeosun, K .P .L and Ganiyu, A. R. (2012). The Influence of Product Attribute on Consumer Purchasing Decision in the Nigerian Food and Beverages Industry: A study of Lagos Metropolis. American Journal of Business and Management 1(4): 196-201
[17] Mowen, J.C. (1993). Consumer behaviour. Third edition, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. PMid:10127062
[18] Vyas, J.H., Siddiqui N.I. and Dewangan K.J., (2013). A study of Edible oil consumption in Raipur city: International Journal of Commerce, Business and Management, 2(2): 115-121
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor, Yeboah Solomon Tawiah, Addai Michael. (2015). Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana. Science Journal of Business and Management, 3(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13

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    ACS Style

    Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor; Yeboah Solomon Tawiah; Addai Michael. Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana. Sci. J. Bus. Manag. 2015, 3(1), 17-23. doi: 10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13

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    AMA Style

    Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor, Yeboah Solomon Tawiah, Addai Michael. Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana. Sci J Bus Manag. 2015;3(1):17-23. doi: 10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13,
      author = {Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor and Yeboah Solomon Tawiah and Addai Michael},
      title = {Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana},
      journal = {Science Journal of Business and Management},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {17-23},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjbm.20150301.13},
      abstract = {Edible oil is one of the most important components of food and a major source of energy for human survival. It also contains saturated fats which when consumed in excess can result in developing coronary diseases. Most Ghanaian households use edible oils in preparation of their day-to-day meals. However there is a paucity of literature on the knowledge, preference and perceptions of consumers on these edible oils. Thus, the objective of the study was to ascertain consumer’s knowledge, perceptions and preference of edible oil. A cross sectional approach was used for study. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 206 respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and results presented using descriptive statistics (tables, charts, frequencies and percentages). The empirical evidence suggests that greater majority of consumers (95.6%) generally use refined edible oils in their daily meals. However, these consumers lack the requisite knowledge on saturated fats and unsaturated fats content of edible oils. As a result, these consumers purchased the refined edible oils because they perceived them to be healthy to consume, quality and nutritious. Moreover, unrefined edible oils were perceived to be substandard in packaging and poor in quality. Regarding the consumers preference in size, it was identified that majority of consumers (58%) prefer edible oils in medium size (1.5-5L) containers. Besides, consumers of unrefined edible oils (80.1%) purchased mostly in open markets, whiles refined edible oils (49.5%) were purchased mostly in supermarkets. Edible oils were mostly used by consumers in frying various foods and preparation of different kind of stews. The findings are very revealing to marketers as they exhibit significant characteristics of consumer behaviour as far the purchase of edible oils are concerned.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana
    AU  - Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor
    AU  - Yeboah Solomon Tawiah
    AU  - Addai Michael
    Y1  - 2015/02/02
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13
    T2  - Science Journal of Business and Management
    JF  - Science Journal of Business and Management
    JO  - Science Journal of Business and Management
    SP  - 17
    EP  - 23
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2331-0634
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13
    AB  - Edible oil is one of the most important components of food and a major source of energy for human survival. It also contains saturated fats which when consumed in excess can result in developing coronary diseases. Most Ghanaian households use edible oils in preparation of their day-to-day meals. However there is a paucity of literature on the knowledge, preference and perceptions of consumers on these edible oils. Thus, the objective of the study was to ascertain consumer’s knowledge, perceptions and preference of edible oil. A cross sectional approach was used for study. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 206 respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and results presented using descriptive statistics (tables, charts, frequencies and percentages). The empirical evidence suggests that greater majority of consumers (95.6%) generally use refined edible oils in their daily meals. However, these consumers lack the requisite knowledge on saturated fats and unsaturated fats content of edible oils. As a result, these consumers purchased the refined edible oils because they perceived them to be healthy to consume, quality and nutritious. Moreover, unrefined edible oils were perceived to be substandard in packaging and poor in quality. Regarding the consumers preference in size, it was identified that majority of consumers (58%) prefer edible oils in medium size (1.5-5L) containers. Besides, consumers of unrefined edible oils (80.1%) purchased mostly in open markets, whiles refined edible oils (49.5%) were purchased mostly in supermarkets. Edible oils were mostly used by consumers in frying various foods and preparation of different kind of stews. The findings are very revealing to marketers as they exhibit significant characteristics of consumer behaviour as far the purchase of edible oils are concerned.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • School of Business and Management Studies, Department of Marketing, Cape Coast Polytechnic Institute, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • School of Business and Management Studies, Department of Marketing, Cape Coast Polytechnic Institute, Cape Coast, Ghana

  • School of Business and Management Studies, Department of Marketing, Accra Polytechnic Institute, Accra, Ghana

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