The Importance Of Food Selection

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Food selection and consumption is always a topic to a complex network of the factors of individual and national (Grunert, 2003). Over the past 50 years, the shifts in agricultural practice and the availability of food has caused in substantial changes in food consumption (Kearney, 2010). People makes more than 200 decisions every day for choosing what types of food to eat, when, where, with who, why and how much (Hunter, 2010). Shepherd (1999) stated that food selection is influenced by many correlating factors such as social and cultural factors. The individuals has a strong influence from culture on choosing the types of foods while the social interactions will effect individuals’ behavior and view on eating.

Today the youth toward food selection attitude is difference than before. They are more energetic, complex and more concern to health and environment. The changes of consumer behavior affect the changes in the sector of retailing. The youth’s perception of food quality are characterize as four attributes, namely health, sensory, process and convenience for the food products (Grunert, 2003). Health was becoming importance for people food selection over the last 50 years and nowadays consumer perception to the quality of food signify that health and sensory considerations are equal. Sensory attributes indicate to the aspects of food quality such as appearance, smell and taste. Process attributes is the consumers’ interest toward how the food being produced.