Attitudes of Foodservice Users in Relation to Soybean and its Derivatives in Brazil

Abstract

The attitudes of Foodservice users towards soybeans and their derivatives were investigated. A Likert scale questionnaire was created based on the proposal by Behrens & Da Silva. Statistical analyses included position and dispersion measures, frequency distribution, normality test, Spearman's correlation coefficient and Cronbach's alpha (α=0.96). The questionnaire was answered by 89 workers from the steel industry. The results revealed that soybean consumers do not read labels to identify its presence. When asked about soybean's nutritional quality, respondents recognized that it has a high protein quantity and that it is a functional food as a hormonal substitute in menopause and a regulator of intestine functions, but they did not recognize its role in bone tissue formation. Because they were unaware of issues related to genetically modified foods, they did not have a formed opinion. It was concluded that Foodservice users from the steel industry are unaware of critical facts that determine the purchase of soybean and its derivatives.