HABITS OF PREPARING AND TAKING MEALS AMONG POZNAN INHABITANTS

Grażyna Adamczyk
Department of Food Management Economics, Agricultural University of Poznan, Poland

ABSTRACT

Food habits are created under the influence of many external and internal factors, which are friendly for habits or limit them. In the paper food habits refer to preparing and taking meals among Poznan inhabitants. It is showed that the most important factors, which influence meals preparation, are associated with food products attributes, including healthful and nutrition values, next consumer’s preferences and also easiness and fastness of preparing meals for eating. One paid attention to time value for consumer, alternative costs, and consumer’s social and economic profile, which significantly affect organization of household’s activities. Changing styles of consumers’ life involve the change and differentiation of their food habits. There are, among the other, tradition to common consuming of main meals among the considerable group of inhabitants of Poznan, and also the increasing popularity of consumption, mainly lunch or dinner away from home particularly among younger or working household members. Characterized habits of preparing and taking meals in households served to carry out the segmentation. As criteria of carried out a priori segmentation were accepted the following factors: factors taken into consideration when composing the dietary model and the time value for members of the household. There were obtained five segments considering criteria taken into consideration when preparing meals. The segment turned out to be most numerous Traditionally Organized (28%), the least numerous Rushed – People in the way (17%) and The Others (15%).

Key words: food habits, taking meals, time value, consumer segmentation.

INTRODUCTION

The custom is most often defined as the determined form of the behaviour oneself social community accepted by the datum in determined situations [2]. It is possible to find in the Polish Language Dictionary the occurring definition – “... it is generally accepted, sanctified with tradition most often proceeding in reliable circumstances by the method, characteristic for reliable environment, area and period”... [5].

The custom is the element of the system of the public control according to Szczepański [6] and therefore there is the institutionalized pattern of behaviours in empathic situations for the group as a whole.

Customs and dietary habits are posing so determined method of feeding a person, a group or a bigger community, which turns into its continuation at the next generations. It is also necessary to notice the fact that they are being shaped under influence of many external and internal factors, which are favourable to them or they limit them, including biological, social, demographic, economic, cultural and psychographic factors.

Dietary custom stay also in precise connection with the given community’s culture and its manners, traditions, hospitality, and so on.

Another factor influencing consumers’ dietary customs is so called “maternal cuisine” i.e. cuisine of childhood, from the family home. In principle, the cuisine is just the cultivator of dietary traditions and manners in society. It can influence our dietary customs in two ways. On the one hand, because we choose the dishes, which are known, to us from childhood since they give us feeling of security, they are close to us, tasty and tested. On the other hand, we are able to reject them because of the frequency of consumption, forcing to eating them or boring with them.

Consumption of traditional dishes can last the whole generations and even long after breaking bonds with the past. In this way the community’s tradition involves the family tradition taking in to consideration positive sense of eating of chosen dishes, e.g. Christmas traditions, as well as negative sense connected, with a certain taboo. This taboo is rising for various reasons and it is influencing dietary customs indeed. Religion can be an example of such taboo.

In this paper, food habits refer to preparing and taking meals among Poznan inhabitants were presented.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Empirical data, which served to the article as the material, were collected by the method of the direct questionnaire and the personal interview among 600 households of town in the year 2002. The household was the unit of the research, and a respondent was a person usually responsible for preparing meals. The sample to the research was chosen by non-random, quota sampling method. Economic activity of household and size of the household were the criteria of the sample selection. Collected data were subjected to the analysis with the usage of chosen gauges of the one-dimensional analysis. The cross tabulation was the basic method of the analysis at the same time in two measurements. Chosen variables were subjected to also the multidimensional analysis, with utilizing the cluster analysis and k-means method of grouping. This method was the basis of carrying out of the segmentation procedure.

FACTORS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN PREPARING MEALS

The important elements characterise food habits are criteria taken into consideration when organize the model of family feeding. The analysis showed that importance of taken criteria was diversified under remark at preparing meals.

With reference to the factors taken into consideration, relatively the most significant (the highest percentage of the answer) in consumers’ opinion were state of health of family (65.5%) and healthiness and the nutrition content of dishes (61.2%), however determined as important – age of members of family (59.6%), individual requirements and preferences of household members (59.3%) and habits of consuming certain dishes (54.5%). The least significant factor taken into consideration when compose some model of the feeding was fashion for eating certain products or dishes.

There were also made the estimation of importance (median of estimations) for each factor taken into consideration when composing the model of the feeding of the household which confirmed significant importance of criteria connected with features and preferences of household members, i.e., state of health of family (median 4.0), age of household members (3.0), their individual requirements and preferences (3.0) and habits of consuming certain dishes (3.0). The attributes of products, like healthiness and the nutrition content were also important factors. Fashion for various dishes, fastness and easiness of preparing meals turned out to be the least significant factors.

Jeżewska-Zychowicz [3] and Kędzior [4] obtained the similar hierarchy of some factors in their researches led on the attempt of metropolitan households.

Their results of research confirm the importance of factors related to characters of household members and next attributes of products like: healthiness, nutrition content of products, and also attributes associated with preparing meals, for instance fastness and easiness of taking meals and also fashion and prestige of consumption of certain, specific dishes.

TIME VALUE DEVOTED FOR PREPARING MEALS

In the face of considerable society’s professional activity, particularly growing women’s economic activity, changes of styles of consumers’ life, the growing number of smaller households, growing wealth of some social-economical groups it is more and more considered time spent on basic activities in the household. The opportunity cost is being considered in this case, i.e. possibility of the exchange the time for more attractive and useful activities, the study, recreation, sport and so on.

Majority (over 60%) of interviewed consumers declared, that time devoted for preparing main meals is not important for them. Majority of these respondents as the main reason for their opinion pointed out dealing this fact as the daily activity, but every fifth respondent pointed out that he likes preparing various meals regardless time they have.

Above 1/3 of consumers confirmed time value connected with preparing meals. There are several reasons of this fact, namely busy day related to career and providing household, alternative for doing something more interesting to culinary activities and absorbing career.

Indications referring to the time taken into consideration when preparing meals were diversified in dependence on the person preparing them. Almost 76% of respondents showed woman, who usually preparing meals in household, 14% interviewed showed man. Sporadically other persons are occupied with preparing of meals, among other things family, the housekeeper or every household member does it independently.

Women preparing meals were valuing their time mainly because of the tight plan of their day and absorbing career. Men usually pointed to the chance of the exchange of the time for doing something more interesting.

Women, men and other persons in household who weren’t putting to time value devoted for preparing meals as a main reason of this attitude showed that preparing of different meals is a daily, necessary activity.

In case where household members usually prepared main meals for themselves, the most often they declared that this activity is pleasant for them and they like doing it regardless the time they have.

CONSUMING MEALS AT HOME AND AWAY FROM HOME

The important aspect related to food habits is also tradition of consuming meals at home, together with family and eating meals away from home. Consumption of main meals almost every day declared over 80% of respondents (with two or more personal households). Over 11% of interviewed people usually do it one or twice a week.

This custom the most often refers to supper (78.2% of indications) and to lunch (68.2%), and as a rule household members consume breakfast separately at a various times.

Persons who usually consume main meals separately at a various times of the day the most often do it because of diversified working hours and daily occupations of household members.

A little more than a half of respondents declared that members of their household do not consume meals away from home.

Preferences to independent preparing of meals and consuming them at home are the most important reason for consumption at home exclusively (64.9%). In addition, economic factor, associated with the higher price of ready meals consumed in gastronomic places is very important reason for eating at home.

Almost 44% of consumers pointed out the fact of consuming meals away from home by various household members. Most often, either the whole family or studying children do it. The host most often consumes away from home in remaining cases, mainly because of the character of work. Fast food bars and restaurant are as a rule the place of the most frequent consumption of meals. Above half of consuming meals away from home (53.7%) do it at least once a week. The main reasons of consuming meals away from home are for instance: occupation and studying at various times, lack of time for preparing meals at home and tastiness and a wide choice of dishes, which are served at gastronomic places.

To analyse impact of the value of the time on consumption behaviour of households is necessary to take note of the fact of bigger consumption away from home with the increase of the time value, in particular for women. More and more often working women value time devoted for preparing meals and they are demanding from food consumed at home fastness, easiness and convenience of usage. 67.4% of interviewed households, in which value time devoted for preparing meals, visit gastronomic places. Nevertheless, among households, in which value time for preparing meals is not important, less than 30% of them are using gastronomic services. About 60% of consumers being habitual guests of gastronomic places declare expenses on average for consumption away home on the level at most to 20% of general food expenditures. The obtained results can be the basis to the conclusion, that with the increase in the tendency towards women's professional activity, the value of their time will play more and more importance, involving more frequent consumption away home and using convenient food, ready to consume after short cooking treatment at home.

CONSUMERS’ SEGMENTATION BY PREPARING AND TAKING MEALS

Characterised habits of preparing and taking meals in households served to carry out the segmentation. As criteria of carried out a priori segmentation the following behavioural variables were accepted: factors taken into consideration when composing the dietary model and the time value for members of the household. Mentioned factors were characterised below:

1. tidiness of personal appearance and physical shape,

2. healthiness and nutrition content of dishes,

3. requirements and individual preferences of household members,

4. easiness of preparing meals,

5. fastness of preparing meals,

6. interest in certain kinds of dishes,

7. state of health of family,

8. age of members of family,

9. habit of consuming certain kinds of products or dishes,

10. time value devoted for preparing meals.

Grouping of 10 segmentation’s variables with k-means method permitted to obtain five segments considering criteria taken into consideration when preparing meals. The results of households grouping are presented in the figure 2.

For complete characteristic of segments, there were selected factors, which were statistic tested by χ² test. Besides behavioural factors that were criteria of segmentation, seven demographic and economic factors were accepted for segments description. Description of segments was showed below.

Segment I (Rushed – People in the way), comprising 17% of the surveyed population.

Households belong to this segment, when preparing meals take into consideration first of all requirements and individual preferences of household members, secondly easiness and fastness of preparing meals, and next state of health of family and household members’ age. The last two factors are – in comparison with the other segments – relatively the least important.

Person preparing meals (usually woman) values highly time devoted for preparing meals at home, chiefly because of the absorbing career. Members of households belong to this segment often consume away from home and they give the principal reason of lack of the time for preparing meals at home, but in case of multi-person households – different hours of occupations of household members.

The places of the most frequent consumption away from home are bars of fast food and milk bars, which are visited by respondents at least once a week. There are also big share of households, which consume at home only. In this case, the main meals are consumed usually three or more time a week (in multi-persons households).

Households belong to this segment are lasting usually no longer than 10 years, there are chiefly single or double households where their members usually have college or the higher education. They are economic active households, in which the source of income is related to work in non-manual labour position. They usually reach higher average income, which is allocated in about 30-35 % for food expenditures.

Segment II – Organized Traditionally, the most numerous, 28% of households belong to second segments. When composing dietary model they first take into consideration the state of health of family, secondly healthiness and the nutrition content of meals and next age of members of family and habits of consuming various kinds of dishes. The fashion for consuming various dishes is turning out to be the least significant factor. For the persons preparing meals (usually women) time value devoted for preparing meals is not important because they are treating it as the daily activity and preparing meals give them satisfaction. Households in this segment usually consist of one person or two persons. They are usually lasting above 30 years, and they have not children or have one child made independent. They are not usually economically active households, making a living by the pension or retire benefit and the non-profit other person sources. However a woman usually also works professionally in active households. They usually allocate the half of the monthly budget to expenses for food; their income usually forms on the average level. There is not habit of eating meals away from home inside this segment, mainly because of preferences of self-dependent preparing meals at home and because of high price of dishes consuming at gastronomic places. Main meals are being consumed together here almost every day.

Segment III – Undeceided Modern, counting 18 % of surveyed sample. Among researched households all factors taken into consideration when composing food model are significant and the following are the most important in order: state of health of family, healthiness and nutrition content of dishes, age of family members and their preferences. Relatively important factors are related to dishes caloricity because of care of tidiness of personal appearance and physical shape, and fashion of consume of certain kind of dishes. The other factors are less important; however, they are distinguishing themselves by the high weight in comparison to the other segments. Person preparing meals, usually woman, values time devoted for preparing meals, because of the absorbing career, the tightened plan of the day and possibility of doing in this time something more interesting. This segment is usually created by four-person households, existing no longer than 10 years or two-person households. The woman usually has the vocational education or college in these households and works professionally. Work in manual labour position is usually the main source of maintenance of these households and that brings comparatively high income to them. Monthly these households allocate about 25% of budget for food expenditure.

Members of these households, specially studying children, usually consume meals away from home, chiefly because of various hours of take-overs of household members and the wide choice of dishes, availability and the tastiness of dishes which are served by restaurant. They usually consume meals at school canteens or fast food bars and they do it a few times a month. Main meals are usually eaten in this group of households together once or twice a week or more often.

Segment IV – Independent Cookers, counting 22% of interviewed households. Relatively the most significant factors take into consideration when preparing meals at home are healthiness and nutrition content of dishes and also age of family members, state of their health and individual requirements. The least important factors are associated with fastness and easiness of preparing meals and fashion of consuming certain kind of dishes – different from traditional.

Persons usually preparing meals in household do not value time devoted for preparing and cooking meals because they treat it as a normal, daily activity.

Households of this segment usually combine from two or three persons; they have the longest training, i.e. above 30 years or up to 20 years, they do not have children or they have one. Women usually work in active households professionally away from home and they have the vocational education or college. However somewhat bigger part of this segment are households which do not work professionally, for which the pension, retire benefits or other non-profit source are the base of maintenance. Active households are being maintained from the contract work in manual labour position. Income of households creating this segment is average as a rule and expenses for food are on the level over 50% of whole income. Members of this segment definitely are not used to consume away from home. Their dietary customs are traditional and relatively tight for penetrating fashions and cracking consumer trends. Representatives of this segment evaluate factors tied with convenience and time of preparing dishes extremely as the least significant.

Segment V – The Others, not very numerous (15%). All-important factors taken into consideration when preparing meals are healthiness and the nutrition content of dishes, the state of health of family and care of tidiness of personal appearance and physical shape. The time, which they spend on this activity, is important for persons preparing meals in these households chiefly because of the absorbing career and the tightened plan of the day. Households usually create this segment are four or three personal, with the training most often up to 30 years or up to 10 years. They usually have two children or one child, woman usually works professionally and she has the university education or college. For households of this segment the main sources of income is contract work on non-manual labour position or often too self-employment. Professional work brings to households relatively high income. From monthly budget this households assign above 50 % of the whole income or up to 25 % for food expenditure. In these households, meals are sporadically consumed away from home. However, some part of households consumes meals away from home mainly because of various hours of occupations of household members or in order varying the daily diet. All household members usually consume meals away from home, most often in fast food bars or restaurants and they usually do it at least once a month. In over 30% of interviewed households, the main meals are usually being eating together at home with the frequency above three times a week.

CONCLUSIONS

Consumers’ food habits are being formed in the effect of the interaction of many factors, resulting both from internal premises, and of external conditions, with the connected environment, in which every person exists. They can be considered on many surfaces, tied both with the sphere of consumption, and with the market sphere. In this paper, it was concerned with habits of preparing and taking meals, without fostering the detailed consideration of the kind of particular consumed food products. It is possible to formulate a few conclusions based on the analysis of consumer’s food habit related to preparing and consuming meals:

1. Not all factors are being playing the same role when preparing meals. In general, Poznan consumers attach more importance to the ones who are tied with attributes of products than these household members tied with preferences, requirements or habits.

2. Changing styles of consumers’ life involve the change and differentiation of their food habits. There are, among the other, tradition to common consuming of main meals among the considerable group of inhabitants of Poznan, and the increasing popularity of consumption, mainly lunch or dinner away from home particularly among younger or working household members.

3. Increase time value devoted for preparing meals is a reason for more and more consumer interest in convenient food, which requires shorter and smaller cooking treatment in the relation to traditional food.

4. Differentiation of habits of preparing and taking meals was a basis for grouping of Poznan consumers. The segment turned out to be most numerous Traditionally Organized (28%), the least numerous Rushed – People in the way (17%) and The Others (15%).

REFERENCES

1. Adamczyk G., 2001. Zachowania konsumpcyjne gospodarstw domowych i ich implikacje dla producentów żywnosci, [Consumer behaviors of households and their implication for food producers] Typescript of PhD dissertation. Agricultural University of Poznan, Poznan [in Polish].

2. Encyklopedia Popularna, [The Popular Encyclopaedia] 1982. PWN Warsaw, 902 [in Polish].

3. Jeżewska-Zychowicz M., 1995. Czynniki warunkujšce zachowania żywieniowe we współczesnych gospodarstwach domowych. [Factors influence on food behaviours in modern households] Gospodarstwo domowe 1. Warsaw, pp. 25-28 [in Polish].

4. Kędzior Z., 1995. Proces decyzyjny w gospodarstwie domowym. [Decision process in household] Gospodarstwo domowe, 1. Warsaw, pp.23-25 [in Polish].

5. Słownik języka polskiego, [The Polish Language Dictionary] 1981. PWN Warsaw, t. III, 1077 [in Polish].

6. Szczepański J., 1970. Elementarne pojęcia z socjologii, [Elementary notions of sociology] PWN Warsaw, pp. 219-220 [in Polish].

Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.