Convenience food consumption in the Nordic countries and St. Petersburg area

Abstract

Building on the theoretical framework provided by sociological research on eating practices, family meals, self‐cooked meals and time use, this study examines national differences and similarities in the use of convenience food in Northern Europe. The study draws on two quantitative sets of data, the primary data set (N = 8248) collected in 2012 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and the complementary data set (N = 800) collected in St. Petersburg area in 2013. In general, consumers’ attitudes towards convenience food were negative. Time saving was an important motivator for convenience consumption in all countries. The effects of other attitudes were diffuse and factors such as low cost, health effects, and taste of convenience food, affected convenience consumption differently in different countries. In the four Nordic countries women used less convenience food than men. In Finland and in Norway older respondents used convenience food less often than the young. Generally, the use of convenience food was most frequent among those living alone. The effects of education and occupation were small, implying that the phase of life is more important than social stratification in explaining convenience food consumption. In the St. Petersburg data, there were no differences related to social background.

Acceptability of Convenience Food Among Older People

“…Convenience food, in turn, is impersonal for the very reason that that it isn't self-made (Mäkelä, 2000). Brunner et al (2011) as well as Kahma et al (2016) in fact speak about a generational effect: older people today represent a generation that have always cooked food from scratch themselves, and they wish to maintain the practice. Taste and smell preferences and experiences acquired in childhood have also been found to have a long influence on perceptions and atmospheres associated with food (Edfors & Westergren, 2012).…”

“…The significance of ease of use to the acceptability of convenience food becomes especially pronounced in changing life situations (e.g. Kahma et al, 2016; Saba et al, 2008). The older people of our study who live alone may not always want or even know how to prepare food themselves.…”

“…In this context, previous studies have shown that older people especially often hold negative attitudes toward convenience food (e.g. Kahma et al, 2016;McKie, 1999;Saba, Messina, Turrini, Lumbers, & Raats, 2008;Sidenvall et al, 2001), and consume convenience food less compared with the younger age groups (Brunner et al, 2010;Hunter, & Worsley, 2009;Kahma et al, 2016). Among the elderly, those who live alone or have become widowed use convenience food more compared with two-person households (Edfors & Westergren, 2012;Hunter & Worsley, 2009;Saba et al, 2008;Vesnaver et al, 2016).…”

“…According to de Costa, Schoolmeester, Dekker, and Jongen (2007), ease of preparation is regarded as a central advantage of convenience food, but on the contrary, it is regarded as tasteless. On the whole, convenience food is considered unhealthy and low in nutritional value among consumers (Brunner, van der Horst, & Siegrist, 2010; Kahma, Mäkelä, Niva, Ganskau, & Minina, 2016; Kupiainen & Järvinen, 2009; Lundkvist, Fjellstrom, Sidenvall, Lumbers, & Raats, 2010).…”

“…Furthermore, Finns, for example, tend to have the opinion that food eaten at home should be self-made with basic ingredients, and they see preparing food as a way of relaxing (Kupiainen & Järvinen, 2009). The tradition of preparing food for oneself at home is still highly valued especially among elderly people (Edfors & Westergren, 2012; Kahma et al, 2016; Moisio, Arnould, & Price, 2004), and there is distrust toward convenience food (e.g. Lundkvist et al, 2010).…”