Understanding food choice factors of rural households from northwest Vietnam

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the food choice motivations of rural households using a cross-sectional dataset of 510 households from northwest Vietnam interviewed in 2016.Design/methodology/approachA modified Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) is used to assess factors related to food choice and explore relationships between food choice factors, diet quality and various sociodemographic characteristics.FindingsResults show four distinct food choice factors: “Natural and healthy,” “Familiarity,” “Balanced diet” and “Convenience.” Two distinct consumer clusters are identified: “Health-conscious” households and “Pragmatic” households. “Health-conscious” households rank “Balanced diet” and “Natural and healthy” highly, while “Pragmatic” households prioritize “Convenience” and “Familiarity.” “Health-conscious” households have significantly more diverse diets, are wealthier and have a greater geographic concentration in the high vegetable density per capita-high elevation areas (36%). Their main food preparers are more educated and about 13% have Kinh ethnicity.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is warranted to explore the temporal dimension of parental food choice motivations given the changing agrifood system in Vietnam.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few studies that assess the food choice motivations among ethnic minority groups in a rural setting.