Joab MR Aha Yu Wong Jamil 2010
Joab MR Aha Yu Wong Jamil 2010
Joab MR Aha Yu Wong Jamil 2010
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ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
We are witnessing the growth of food consumption all over the world, including in
the rapidly developing Asian countries. In major cities of Asia, food consumption has
expanded and diversified drastically. This trend is mainly attributed to high population
growth, considerable enhancement of household income, and drastic changes in lifestyle
due to rapid urbanisation (Ishida et al., 2003). Products such as fresh produce, especially
fruits and vegetables are seeing an increase in demand to meet the needs and preference
of the consumers. In the Malaysian Third National Agricultural Policy, it is predicted that
per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables will increase by 1.8% per annum, for
the 1998-2010 period (Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia, 1999). Based on the increase
in consumption and production, the Malaysian Government has now placed high priority
on the vegetable industry in its National Agricultural Policy. While there is an increasing
percentage of fresh produce from local producers, there has also been an increase of ���im-
ported fresh produce. The demand for fresh produce has been steadily increasing and this
indicates the potential for production and marketing of fresh produce in Malaysia.
Fresh produce is associated frequently with commodity, however, the latest trend in
consumer behaviour indicates the need for changes in how fresh produce is distributed
to final users. Due to the dynamic nature of consumers who are now more educated and
possess higher disposable income, there is an increasing demand for convenience, safety
and health among urban dwellers.
* Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia
E-mail : rahayuhussin@gmail.com
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Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
The study by Reardon et al. (2003) concluded that there is a need for assurance of various
product attributes in order to meet customers’ demands. Findings from many developing
countries have shown that supermarkets are becoming a popular retail outlet. According
to Reardon et al. (2003), these supermarkets are demanding expansion of product choices,
attribute consistency over transactions, year-round availability and especially the standard
for quality and safety of food products. Ruben et al. (2007) also found that more and
more supermarkets in Asia are demanding growers to improve product attributes such as
quality, safety and freshness.
Govindasamy et al. (1997) found that freshness, taste/flavour, cleanliness, health value
and absence of pesticides were among the most important characteristics of fresh produce,
whereas locally grown fresh produce and the country of origin were among the least
important characteristics.
Quality judgements are largely influenced by product itself (Silayoi & Speece, 2004).
For example, consumers may ascertain product quality by screening product appearance.
Some consumers will assume that the product is of high quality if the package is of high
quality. Vice versa, if the consumers have negative information on the product package,
then they will transfer low quality perception to the product itself.
Fatimah et al. (2007) reported that the market demand for tropical fruits is encouraging,
in particular at the regional and international levels. In many developing economies,
the improvement in economic well-being is being translated into a higher demand for
healthier and more convenient products such as fruits, processed fruits and nut products,
ready-to-serve and ultra-fresh fruits, canned products and juices. Although fruits and
vegetables now claim a significant share of world agricultural trade, there seems to be
minimal research on the global patterns and dynamics of this trade (Huang, 2004). The
category “fruits and vegetables” encompasses a great variety of commodities, each with
its own characteristics and institutions.
With the emergence of more modern retail outlets, consumers have more and better
choices in terms of where to make a purchase. Since retailers compete in terms of product
assortment strategy, the quality of products available in retail outlets has also improved. If
the produce is available but the attributes do not meet consumers’ preference, the produce
will be rotten. For example, according to Cadilhon et al. (2003), it is important for the
growers to reduce the usage of chemicals in order to ensure higher food safety standard as
part of essential product attributes.
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Siti Rahayu et al.
the consumer perception on the four important product attributes (quality, value-added,
price, and country of origin) for fruits and vegetables are. However, for this paper, the
researchers discussed only the quality attributes in influencing the purchase of fresh
produce.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Product attributes are those features of a product meeting consumer needs. The term
‘characteristics’ is mainly used in the food science literature, whereas the term attributes is
more prominent in the consumer behaviour literature, although sometimes both terms are
used interchangeably in the literature. At the point of purchase, consumers need quality
indicators or quality cues to be able to evaluate the quality of a product. A quality cue
is defined as all informational stimuli available to the consumer prior to consumption
(Steenkamp & van Trijp, 1996). These quality cues or indicators can be either intrinsic
or extrinsic. While intrinsic cues are part of the physical product, extrinsic cues are only
related to the physical product. Espejel et al. (2007) in their study on the role of intrinsic
and extrinsic quality attributes on consumer behaviour for traditional food products, stated
that intrinsic attributes include colour, marbling and fat content and that of the well-known
extrinsic quality cues are country of origin, brand name, price and store name.
Abbot (1999) defined the term quality as the degree of excellence of a product or its
suitability for a particular use. She described quality as a human construct comprising
many properties and characteristics. According to her, the quality of produce encompasses
sensory properties (appearance, texture, taste and aroma), nutritive values, chemical
constituents, mechanical properties, functional properties and defects. Since fruits and
vegetables are perishable, the quality of fruit and vegetable changes as these products
are passed along the distribution chain. On the other hand, the perspective of handlers or
consumers depends on their position in this distribution chain as well as their personal
tastes (Schewfelt, 1998). It is well-documented that product attributes have different
influence on different types of consumers. Blackwell et al. (2006) referred the attributes
that are the most important to consumers as salient attributes. These salient attributes such
as choice criteria, become determinant attributes when they directly influence buyer’s
choice.
3
Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
may be classified into those that are intrinsic or extrinsic to the product, and those that
are revealed or hidden to the buyer. Intrinsic attributes are defined as those inherent in the
product, such as taste or colour of an apple, which, if changed, would result in a change
to the product itself. On the other hand, extrinsic attributes are defined as those that are
independent of the product, such as price or brand.
Among the most studied attributes of agricultural produce are food safety, nutrition, value,
package and production process. These attributes are later broken down into specific
quality attributes such as taste, appearance, size under the attribute value or physical;
pesticide, food additives under food safety attributes; and vitamins and minerals under
nutrition attributes. Caswell (2000) developed a table, listing five quality attributes of
organic and conventionally produced food products (Table 1).
4
Siti Rahayu et al.
A study by Cunningham (2002) found that Canadian consumers rank taste (93%),
nutrition and health (89%), ease of preparation (68%), preparation time (66%), and price
(62) as key considerations. Another study conducted by Demeritt (2002) concluded that
respondents rated health/nutrition (66%), taste (38%), food safety (30%), environment
(26%), availability (16%), price (16%), appearance (12%) and family (11%) as factors
that influenced organic choices. Groff et al. (1993) found that key factors affecting
consumer preferences were freshness, healthiness, flavour, nutrition, safety, appearance,
price, environmental effect, certification, where it is grown, and brand. In a study by
The Packer (2001), it was concluded that 65% of respondents were concerned about
chemical residues on fresh produce. Taste was the main food quality attribute that affected
consumer’s preference. In another study, Wolf (2002) found that attributes that were very
desirable or extremely desirable to consumers included fresh looking, fresh tasting, high
quality, seedless, good value, reasonably priced, “healthy for me”, high nutrition, looks
sweet, free of insects, sale priced, and free of pesticides.
Another product attribute is brand. Some fresh produce are branded and consumers may
perceive these brands to be of value. Some examples of fresh produce brands are Dole and
Sunkist from the US and Malaysia’s Best from Malaysia. However, brands are relatively
uncommon with fresh fruits and vegetables, compared to most grocery products. In his
study of Australia fresh fruits and vegetables, Pearson (2003) concluded that most fresh
fruits and vegetables are unbranded.
Findings of a study by Brunso and Grunert (1998) have shown that consumers are found
to be different in terms of their eating lifestyle and ways of shopping. The French and
British respondents rated importance of product information and price criterion close to
each other compared with the Danish. In a different study, Shim et al. (2001) developed
a fruit-specific lifestyle segment, comprising: fruit opinion leadership, safety conscious,
external information seeking, quality/novelty seeking, aesthetic orientation, open market
advocate, price consciousness, homemaker use, eclectic fruit use, egocentric/origin
orientation, consumer ethnocentric orientation, and gift-giving orientation. Findings of
this study show that customers can be grouped according to how they consume fresh
produce. For example, there is a group of customers who find that the purchase and
consumption of fresh produce is something special and thus treat it differently from the
group of customers who purchase and consume fresh produce on a daily basis.
The instrument for the study is in the form of a structured questionnaire. The instrument
was set in Bahasa Malaysia and English, using back-to-back translation. The questionnaire
used in this study has been adapted from questions developed in other similar studies.
Consumer behaviour is measured by respondents’ perception of product attributes’
importance when purchasing fresh produce. The essentials of product attributes importance
are divided into four: quality, value-added, country of origin and price.
5
Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
The review of literature has revealed several studies on quality of products from various
perspectives. This has included Demeritt (2002) and Groff et al. (1993) who focused on
factors that influenced choice of organic product as well as Caswell (2000) who focused
on organics and conventionally produced food products. However, we have found that
only Govindasamy et al. (1997) conducted a similar research focusing on specific quality
attributes of fresh produce. Therefore, this study adopted the quality attributes from
Govindasamy et al. (1997).
Based on Govindasamy et al. (1997) and Shim et al. (2001), 32 statements of product
attributes for fruits and 33 statements for vegetables were developed. To avoid middle
scale answers, respondents were asked to rank on an ordered scale of 1 to 4, 1 being very
unimportant and 4 very important. This scale was used because it examined how strongly
the respondents agree or disagree with statements developed in the questionnaire. In the
last section, demographic, eleven questions were asked about respondents’ background.
Screening questions such as “Have you purchased any kinds of fruits/vegetables in the
past two months?” and “Are you a local resident?” were used to select respondents; those
who did not fulfil the screening requirement of the questions were dropped from the study.
A pilot study was conducted before the actual survey.
Purposive sampling method was used to select the respondents. Klang Valley and six
capital cities were selected to represent urban areas of Malaysia, namely Northern zone,
Souhtern zone, Central zone, Eastern zone, Sabah and Sarawak. The cities were: Klang
Valley, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Pulau Pinang, Alor Star, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
Three hundred and fifty respondents each were selected from bigger cities such as Penang,
Johor Bahru and Klang Valley. Two hundred respondents each were selected from Alor
Star, Kuantan, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The number of respondents was based on
the quota that was set by the researchers. Samples were selected from residential areas or
home of different types (terraced houses, apartments and bungalows) with various types
of food/grocery retail outlets available (hypermarkets, department stores, supermarkets,
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Siti Rahayu et al.
sundry shops, wet markets, mobile outlets and street sales). Respondents were also chosen
to resemble the various demographic dimensions (age, education, gender, household size,
household income, occupation and state). A total of 1,562 usable responses was analysed.
For the purpose of this paper, we only reported results of one of the product attributes, i.e.
the quality attribute.
Statistical software SPSS Version 14 was used for data analysis. The main focus of the
statistical analysis in this study was to determine the product attributes’ importance in
purchasing fresh produce. In the current study, 1,562 respondents were included in the
analysis which satisfies the requirement for parametric statistics. Based on the objectives
of the study, descriptive analysis was employed. The reliability test of the instrument used
in this study received acceptable reliability level of alpha coefficients (above 0.6).
In the questionnaire, we listed seven types of fruits. However, respondents were asked
to choose only one fruit to refer to when answering the questionnaire. This was because
we wanted to analyse the quality attributes of a particular type of fruits at a time. We also
listed four attributes (quality, value-added, price, country of origin). However, for this
paper, we have reported only the quality attributes. Data on the type of fresh produce
purchased by respondents was analysed descriptively.
From 1,562 respondents, 235 or 15.0% of respondents chose papaya, 361 or 22.4% chose
banana, 60 or 3.8% chose pitaya (dragon fruit), 364 or 22.4% chose watermelon, 167
or 10.7% chose honeydew, 284 or 18.2% chose mango, and 91 or 5.8% of respondents
selected pineapple as the fruit that they refer to when answering the questions on product
attributes (Figure 1).
25
22.4 22.4
20 18.2 Papaya
15 Banana
Percentages
15 Pitaya(dragon
fruit)
10.7
Watermelon
10 fruit)
Honeydew
5.8
Mango
5 3.8
Pineapple
0
Type of Fruits
Type of Fruits
Figure 1: Respondents’
Fruits
Choice of Fruits
Figure 1: Respondents’ Choice of Fruits
The objective of the analysis is to identify specific factor for specific type of fruit. The
researchers compare only the top two fruits chosen by the respondents as a basis for
Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
The findings reported in this paper show only the quality attributes for two types of
fruits. The objective of the analysis is to identify specific factor for specific type of fruit.
The researchers compare only the top two fruits chosen by the respondents as a basis
for answering the questionnaire. The fruits are watermelon and banana. Therefore, the
attributes chosen by respondents refer to the attributes of that specific fruit (watermelon
or banana) only. Responses by those respondents who answer the questionnaire based on
other type of fruits such as papaya, pitaya and others are not shown in this paper.
A total of 364 respondents answered the questionnaire based on their chosen fruit, i.e.
watermelon. In terms of quality attributes for watermelon, not even 30 percent of the
respondents consider sourness as an important attribute. More than 90% of respondents
who answered for watermelon indicated that these quality attributes are important when
they are purchasing watermelon. The quality attributes are: absence of defects, absence
of blemishes, freshness, ripeness, sweetness, nutritional values, flavours, absence of
pesticides, absence of preservative, cleanliness and naturally ripened. Between 70 to
90 percent of respondents have stated that size, weight, shape, colour, succulence and
juiciness are important quality of watermelon (refer to Table 2).
8
Siti Rahayu et al.
A total of 316 respondents referred to banana when answering the questionnaire. More
than 90% of respondents indicated that these quality attributes are important when buying
banana: colour, absence of defect, absence of blemishes, freshness, ripeness, sweetness,
flavours, nutritional value, absence of pesticides, absence of preservatives, cleanliness and
naturally ripened. Between 70 to 90 percent of respondents have stated that size and shape
are important when purchasing banana (refer to Table 3).
Product Attributes (Quality Attributes) for Leafy Vegetables (Mustard and Cabbage)
In the questionnaire, we listed four types of leafy vegetables (mustard, spinach, cabbage
and convolvulus). However, respondents were asked to choose only one leafy vegetable
to refer to when answering the questionnaire. This was to enable us to analyse product
attribute according to specific produce. We also listed four attributes (quality, value-
added, price, country of origin). However, for this paper, we have reported only the quality
attributes. This is because we wanted to analyse the quality attributes of a particular type
of leafy vegetable at a time. Data on the type of fresh produce purchased by respondents
was analysed descriptively.
The findings reported in this paper have shown only the quality attributes for two types
of leafy vegetables. The objective of the analysis is to identify specific factor for specific
9
leafy vegetables. The objective of the analysis is to identify specific factor for specific type of
vegetables. Therefore, the attributes chosen by respondents refer to the attributes of that
specific vegetable (mustard or cabbage) only. Responses by those respondents who answered
type of vegetables. Therefore, the attributes chosen by respondents refer to the attributes
of that specific vegetable (mustard or cabbage) only. Responses by those respondents who
From 1,562 respondents, 518 or 33.5% of respondents chose mustard, 301 or 19.3% chose
answered the questionnaire based on other type of leafy vegetables such as convolvulus
andspinach,
spinach397
are or
not25.4%
shown in this
chose article.
cabbage and 346 or 22.2% respondents selected convolvulus
From 1,562
when respondents,
answering 518 oron33.5%
the questions ofattributes
product respondents
(referchose mustard,
to Figure 2). 301 or 19.3% chose
spinach, 397 or 25.4% chose cabbage and 346 or 22.2% respondents selected convolvulus
when answering the questions on product attributes (refer to Figure 2).
25
19.3 Spinach
20
Cabbage
15 Convolvulus
10
5
0
TypeofofLeafy
Type Leafy Vegetables
Vegetables
Figure 2: 2:
Figure Respondents’
Respondents’Choice
Choice of
of Leafy Vegetables
Leafy Vegetables
From the 1,562 respondents, a total of 316 respondents answered the questionnaire based
on their chosen leafy vegetable (mustard). More than 90% of respondents stated that the
following quality attributes are important for mustard: colour, absence of defect, absence
of blemishes, freshness, ripeness, flavour, nutritional value, absence of pesticides, absence
15
of preservatives, cleanliness and naturally ripened. Between 70 to 90 percent have also
indicated that shape is also important (refer to Table 4).
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Siti Rahayu et al.
Table 4 (Continued)
From 1,562 respondents, a total of 397 respondents answered the questionnaire based
on their chosen leafy vegetable (cabbage). For cabbage, more than 90% of respondents
stated that the quality attributes that are important include: colour, absence of defect,
absence of blemishes, freshness, ripeness, flavour, nutritional value, absence of pesticides,
absence of preservatives, cleanliness and naturally ripened. Between 70 to 90 percent of
the respondents indicated that size and shape are also important (refer to Table 5).
11
Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
Table 5 (Continued)
Product Attributes (Quality Attributes) for Non-leafy Vegetables (Tomato and Long
Bean)
The findings reported in this paper have shown only the quality attributes for two types of
non-leafy vegetables. The objective of the analysis is to identify specific factor for specific
type of non-leafy vegetables. Therefore, the attributes chosen by respondents refer to the
attributes of that specific non-leafy vegetable (tomato or long bean) only. Responses
by those respondents who answered the questionnaire based on other type of non-leafy
vegetables such as sweet potato, capsicum, pumpkin, etc. are not shown in this paper.
For non-leafy vegetables, respondents were asked to choose only one out of 13 types of
non-leafy vegetables. From the total of 1,562 responses, the respondents’ choices are as
follows: 172 or 11% chose lady’s finger, 13 or 0.8% chose capsicum, 59 or 3.8% chose
egg plant, 103 or 6.6% chose long bean/plant, 81 or 5.2% chose pumpkin, 134 or 8.6%
chose sweet corn, 298 or 19.1% chose tomato, 161 or 10.3% chose chilli, 168 or 10.8%
chose cucumber, 192 or 12.3% chose long bean, 94 or 6.0% chose French bean, 37 or
2.4% chose sweet potato and 49 or 3.1% chose loofah (refer to Figure 3).
12
Siti Rahayu et al.
6.0
19
13
Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
Table 6 (Continued)
As for long bean, out of a total 192 respondents, more than 90% of respondents who have
chosen long bean says that colour, absence of defect, absence of blemishes, freshness,
ripeness, flavour, nutritional values, absence of pesticides, absence of preservative,
cleanliness and naturally ripened are important. Between 70 to 90 percent of respondents
have indicated that size and shape are also important (refer to Table 7).
Very Very
Unimportant Total Important Total Total
Quality Unimportant Important
n % n % % n % n % % N
Size 5 2.6 33 17.2 19.8 103 53.6 51 26.6 80.2 192
Weight 3 1.6 70 36.5 38.1 84 43.8 35 18.2 62.0 192
Shape 3 1.6 33 17.2 18.8 105 54.7 51 26.6 81.3 192
Colour 0 0 13 6.8 6.8 105 54.7 74 38.5 93.2 192
Gloss 19 9.9 64 33.3 43.2 74 38.5 35 18.2 56.7 192
Absence of 1 0.5 4 2.1 2.6 64 33.3 123 64.1 97.4 192
defect
Absence of 1 0.5 5 2.6 3.1 61 31.8 125 65.1 96.9 192
blemishes
Succulence 74 38.5 55 28.6 67.1 44 22.9 19 9.9 32.8 192
Crispness 63 32.8 36 18.8 51.6 55 28.6 38 19.8 48.4 192
Juiciness 78 40.6 52 27.1 67.7 33 17.2 29 15.1 32.3 192
Freshness 2 1 4 2.1 3.1 67 34.9 119 62 96.9 192
Ripeness 2 1 9 4.7 5.7 77 40.1 104 54.2 94.3 192
Sweetness 71 37 44 22.9 59.9 41 21.4 36 18.8 40.2 192
Sourness 93 48.4 54 28.1 76.5 23 12 22 11.5 23.5 192
Bitterness 88 45.8 55 28.6 74.4 31 16.1 18 9.4 25.5 192
Aroma 68 35.4 50 26 61.4 44 22.9 30 15.6 38.5 192
Flavours 4 2.1 9 4.7 6.8 74 38.5 105 54.7 93.2 192
Nutritional 1 0.5 8 4.2 4.7 70 36.5 113 58.9 95.4 192
value
14
Siti Rahayu et al.
Table 7 (Continued)
Very Very
Unimportant Total Important Total Total
Quality Unimportant Important
n % n % % n % n % % N
Absence of
0 0 13 6.8 6.8 48 25 131 68.2 93.2 192
preservative
Cleanliness 1 0.5 4 2.1 2.6 60 31.3 127 66.1 97.4 192
Naturally 0 0 8 4.2 4.2 61 31.8 123 64.1 95.9 192
ripened
For the estimated spending on fresh produce, the following figures refer to all the seven
types of fruits, four types of leafy vegetables and thirteen types of non-leafy vegetables.
A total of 1,562 responses was analysed in this study. In terms of the purchase of fruits,
41.5% of respondents reported that they spend more than RM30 in a month. About 18%
indicated that they spend between RM16-RM20 per month. Another 12.5 % of respondents
spend between RM11-RM15, about 10% of respondents reported that they spend between
RM21-RM25 and RM26-RM30 respectively. Only 6.9% of respondents indicated that
they spend less than RM10 for fruits in a month (refer to Figure 4).
15
Essential Quality Attributes in Fresh Produce Purchase by Malaysian Consumers
CONCLUSIONS
In general, the bigger issues surrounding the market for fruits and vegetables in Malaysia
require the understanding of quality requirements of the local markets. The researchers
are of the opinion that there is a need to develop a market understanding of which fruits
and vegetables are the priority to the consumers. By doing so, it may lead to a competitive
advantage for the farmers in Malaysia. This study has not looked into many other types of
fruits (e.g. jackfruit and star fruit) and vegetables (e.g. mushrooms and herbs) which seem
to be promising in the near future. We believe that some local fruits and vegetables that
are available throughout the year have vast potential in the market. Thus, it is vital that the
production of Malaysian fruits and vegetables be based upon objective quality criteria of
the fresh produce. This includes the need to improve both on the yields and post-harvest
management, and also the distribution channels to market in local and export markets.
In order for suppliers to gain support from retailers, farmers need to realise that quality
of fresh produce is a very important attribute that is always required by customers. The
research findings concluded that quality is an important product attribute for fresh produce
shoppers in Malaysia. Quality attributes that are consistently rated as important for both
fruits and vegetables include absence of defect, absence of blemishes, ripeness, freshness,
absence of pesticides, absence of preservatives, nutritional value, and cleanliness.
As for the consumption of fresh produce, results showed that almost half of the
respondents spend more than RM30 in a month. This may indicate a moderate to high
consumption of fresh produce among consumers. Importantly, this creates opportunity for
those involved in marketing fresh produce to promote the purchase of both vegetables and
fruits. Positioning strategies require the identification of target customers and strategies
that cater to the needs of that particular target market. For both producers and retailers,
understanding consumers’ needs, wants, and preferences on the selection of fresh produce
can make or break a sale.
For future research, certain consumer demographic characteristics such as age and
household income as important criteria on the behaviour of certain groups of consumers
should be analysed.
Acknowledgement
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Federal Agricultural
Marketing Authority (FAMA). We would also like to thank the participating organisations
and individuals for their support.
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Siti Rahayu et al.
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