The Social Determinants of Food Purchasing Practices: Who Chooses Price-before-Health, Taste-before-Price or Organic Foods in Australia?

Paul R Ward,Samantha B Meyer,John Coveney,Julie Henderson,Loreen Mamerow,Anne W Taylor

doi:10.4236/fns.2012.34066

Paul R Ward, Samantha B Meyer + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.4236/fns.2012.34066

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Abstract

A survey of the extent to which cost, taste and health considerations impact food purchasing practices in Australia was conducted. Data were gathered from a national computer assisted telephone survey of 1109 randomly sampled house- holders and analysed using multiple logistic regression analysis. 88% of respondents considered the taste of food before its price, with females and people on higher incomes more likely to do so. 52% of respondents said that they considered the price of food before its health and nutritional benefits, with males, younger people and people with lower educa- tional qualifications more likely to do so. 49% said that they purchase organic food, with people with 1 child, full-time employed and people never married more likely to do so. Overall, gender, income, education, work status, age and family size are all important predictors of food purchasing practices in Australia.

Highlights

Data were gathered from a national computer assisted telephone survey of 1109 randomly sampled householders and analysed using multiple logistic regression analysis. 88% of respondents considered the taste of food before its price, with females and people on higher incomes more likely to do so. 52% of respondents said that they considered the price of food before its health and nutritional benefits, with males, younger people and people with lower educational qualifications more likely to do so. 49% said that they purchase organic food, with people with 1 child, full-time employed and people never married more likely to do so
This paper focuses on the extent to which cost, taste, health and ethical considerations impact food purchasing practices in Australia
Responses were more evenly distributed for the survey item addressing the purchase of organic products (53% (n = 575) “Never/Seldom” versus 47% (n = 513) “Sometimes/Often”) and whether participants considered food prices before health and nutritional qualities (48% (n = 522) “Never/Seldom” versus 52% (n = 573) “Sometimes/Often”)

Summary

Introduction

This paper focuses on the extent to which cost, taste, health and ethical considerations impact food purchasing practices (referred to as FPP throughout this paper) in Australia. The paper provides data from a national survey in Australia about both the prevalence and social determinants of these FPP. Our paper is timely given the rising food costs, increased focus upon prevention of chronic disease through adoption of healthy diet, and the ethical and environmental considerations in relation to food production and transport. In learning the details of everyday dynamics of FPP, this paper will shed light on the “complex range of factors which operate to produce and/or sustain “unhealthy” lifestyles and (by extension) overweight and obesity” [1]

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