Food values influencing consumers' decisions in a sub-Saharan African country

Abstract

PurposeGiven food industry manufacturers and retailers' growing economic interest in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), this research aims to contribute to the understanding of consumer food decisions in this specific geographical area. Thus, the intention is to analyze whether there are significant differences in the appreciation of food values according to certain key demographics of consumers (related to the individual and the context) in one of the largest SSA economies: Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe review of the relevant literature enabled us to propose a series of hypotheses regarding potential significant differences in the appreciation of a series of food values (in particular, price, safety, environmental impact, nutrition and weight and measures) according to variables related to the individual and the economic and social context. In order to test the hypotheses, a structured questionnaire was personally administered to 500 Lagos residents between June and July 2020. The questionnaire contained, as well as diverse questions related to the appreciation of food values selected for this study, a group of questions about the consumers' sociodemographic characteristics – at both the individual and context level. The database was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis tests.FindingsThe results show that nutrition and weight and measurement values are the most and least appreciated food values, respectively. However, these values differ across segments determined by the chosen sociodemographic variables.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study are preliminary and not a complete representation of the Lagos State population, and, consequently, of the Nigerian population. Additional studies in the same and other countries in SSA are needed to confirm the authors’ findings. The results, however, provide an insight into what the most likely outcomes are. A field survey was used as respondents tend not to answer online surveys spontaneously.Practical implicationsFood manufacturers and retailers should encourage consumer-operator feedback mechanisms to improve product characteristics and development. The variations found across each segment can be capitalized upon for advertising and branding food products.Originality/valueHaving selected a country in SSA for the study is an important contribution, given that few studies have focused on this geographical area.