Identifying the expectations of older food consumers

Abstract

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:239791 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. Abstract Given the many potential negative factors that influence food choice behaviour in older people, it is important to understand the problem areas of food shopping. Uses critical incident technique (CIT) to elicit consumers' stories of dissatisfying/satisfying shopping experiences and, where dissatisfied, identifies their expectations. Volunteers from a cross-section of locations in Scotland were interviewed, eliciting 248 incidents. Results identified eight key elements contributing to the food shopping experience with all, except social aspects, having positive and negative incidents. Argues that the factors influencing the food shopping experience are much wider than previous research indicates and that, given the breadth of dissatisfaction across the elements, older consumers are lacking "power" within the marketplace. Expectations indicate that some consumers feel they do not have the ability to exercise any alternative to overcome their dissatisfaction.Research has found there to be many potentially negative factors influencing the food choice behaviour and nutritional status of older people (Herne, 1995), with one key area identified as the food shopping environment (Read and Schlenker, 1993;Brech, 1994). The quality of the food shopping experience of older consumers is of relevance to marketers, as their increasing numbers represent a growing market opportunity for food retailers, who are competing at the margins for market share.

Food access and dietary variety among older people

“…Another has looked at the shopping behaviour of older people have focused in urban and rural Scotland. Here aspects of diets, health beliefs and facilities available to older people in terms of social support differ from those in England (McKie, 1999. Hare et al, 1999.…”

“…Previous research involving the shopping behaviour of older people has indicated that they may implement coping strategies in order to continue to access food in a way that enables them to manage and maintain their independence (McKie, 1999;Leighton and Seaman, 1997;Hare et al, 1999). These coping strategies include shopping more frequently or with friends or relatives, and using local shops in order to choose foods.…”

“…This need to compromise is perhaps not to be unexpected. Indeed, it is suggested that older consumers do not differ so greatly from other age groups in terms of compromising to reach food shops (Hare et al, 1999). Other age groups have been reported as compromising in terms of time, choice of shop and price (National Consumer Council, 1992).…”

What’s local? Access to fresh food for older people

“…As Community Food and Health Scotland (2010) recognise, there are numerous potential constraints to older people accessing healthy food which, if addressed, would -by implicationbenefit others (see also Bowyer, et al, 2009). These fall into two broad categories: poverty -the costs of food, transport and personal health; and culture (or socialisation) -differential culinary skills and shopping practices (see Keane and Willetts, 1994;Herne, 1995;Donkin, et al, 1998;Hare, et al, 1999;Hughes, et al, 2004). In addressing these constraints, Morgan (2010) argues in favour of a pluralist approach to food planning in which the ecological integrity of healthy food and the social justice of its distribution are combined in a comprehensive approach to food security.…”

“…It has also been claimed that such an approach to food distribution diminishes many older people's lives, for a range of reasons related to social and culinary alienation and stress (Hare, et al, 1999;Meneely, et al, 2009), leading to questions about distributional equity (Morgan, 2010;Morgan and Sonnino, 2010) and public health (Ellaway and Macintyre, 2000;Kyle and Blair, 2007). In addressing this situation there has been an increasing trend, in Europe and America, to question how access to fresh and healthy food can be brought into land use planning decisions (Food Commission and Sustain, n.d.;Morgan, 2009;Morgan and Sonnino, 2010).…”