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

Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor; Yeboah Solomon Tawiah; Addai Michael

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sjbm.20150301.13

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

Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor, Yeboah Solomon Tawiah, Addai Michael

Published in Science Journal of Business and Management (Volume 3, Issue 1)

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

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[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
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[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]
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[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

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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

Horsu Emmanuel Nondzor

School of Business and Management Studies, Department of Marketing, Cape Coast Polytechnic Institute, Cape Coast, Ghana
Yeboah Solomon Tawiah

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

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

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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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