KEYNOTE SPEAKERS . Development of a food and health strategy for Cardiff

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© 2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKJCSInternational Journal of Consumer Studies1470-6431Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 200327

••••••

Miscellaneous

1

A special issue of peer-reviewed papers drawn from the conference willbe published by the

International Journal of Consumer Studies

in March2004.

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts

Abstracts from key papers to be presentedat the 1st Institute of Consumer Sciences incorporating Home Economics, International Research Conference

1

Empowering the Consumer in the 21st Century, UWIC, Llandaff Centre, Cardiff

CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

The University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), is delighted to

be holding the first research conference since the formation of

the Institute of Consumer Sciences (ICSc) incorporating Home

Economics. This professional body was formed by the amal-

gamation of the SCCS (Standing Conference in Consumer Stud-

ies), IHEc (Institute of Home Economics) and the UKHEF (United

Kingdom Home Economics Federation) in 2000. Before this, 19

successful and enjoyable research conferences had been held

in the UK, the last in 1999 in Belfast. Cardiff makes a fitting return

to the international research in consumer science scene, as it is

21 years since it last hosted such a conference. The Institute

and UWIC are pleased to acknowledge the sponsorship of

the Welsh Development Agency, Food and Agri-Partnership,

who are sponsoring the social activities and food during the

conference.

The theme of the conference this year is ‘Empowering the

Consumer in the 21st Century’, with four key areas addressed:

• consumer empowerment and education;

• social marketing and consumer choice;

• product safety;

• sustainability.

These four themes reflect the main areas of concern of con-

sumers from all nations in the twenty-first century. As can be

seen from the following abstracts, speakers and poster present-

ers have been selected by the programme committee from all

parts of the British Isles and Ireland, Canada, Finland, Denmark,

Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Kenya, South Africa,

Botswana, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and the USA.

The Monday will see Keynote speakers from the consumer

empowerment and education (abstract below), social marketing

and consumer choice and product safety themes.

Professor and sensory scientist Michael O’Mahoney from the

University of Davis, California, will present the keynote in social

marketing and consumer choice. Mike is an excellent presenter,

in huge demand for sensory workshops and meetings. His

research objectives are to develop an understanding of how the

senses associated with food work, especially the sense of taste.

This involves an understanding of how the brain processes

information coming from the senses. With this understanding,

better methods can be developed for sensory analysis. In this

keynote address, he will deal with some of the rights and wrongs

of sensory analysis to help delegates gain a greater understand-

ing of sensory science and refine their methods for the better.

Mr Paul Downhill is the keynote presenter for the product

safety theme. Paul is assistant consumer affairs manager, work-

ing in the merchandise technical services and quality depart-

ment at Argos Distribution Limited. Argos is one of the UK’s

leading non-food retailers who sell through catalogue, retail out-

lets and on-line. Paul, an ex-trading standards officer, will be

overviewing the array of legislation and consumer expectations

that have to be considered when a company such as Argos is

placing so many diverse products into the marketplace.

The morning keynotes will be followed by a number of papers

(two abstracted below) with specific emphasis on the food

industry, with topics drawn from the three key themes from the

morning session. Included here will be a presentation by Fiona

Moore, Head Food Technician at Marks and Spencer plc. Fiona

will speak on current trends in new product development. Our

other speakers, Professor Chris Griffith (head of the Wales Food

Industry Centre, based at UWIC) and Mr David Lloyd (maximiz-

ing profits in the food industry) are also key Wales Food Industry

Centre researchers. The Wales Food Industry Centre is one of

the world’s leading centres for applied food safety research,

providing consultancy services and training programmes for a

wide range of clients, in both the UK and overseas.

On Tuesday, there are parallel sessions concerning consumer

empowerment and education, one session dealing with food,

the other dealing with consumers of non-food products and

services, with particular emphasis on education. An extended

lunch break will give delegates the opportunity to attend an

International Journal of Consumer Studies

workshop.

On Wednesday, our sustainability keynote is Mr Tom Bourne,

Environment Director of the WDA. This is an area of particular

consumer interest, given the recent findings of the Austrian

Consumer Council, regarding the nutritional content of frozen vs.

imported (fresh) vegetables. The following parallel sessions are

on sustainability and social marketing and consumer choice/

product safety.



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The conference will also host a number of posters (some

abstracted below) and trade exhibition stands, including

Blackwell Publishing, the publisher of the

International Jour-

nal of Consumer Studies

and a number of key home eco-

nomics/consumer science texts, the ICSC and the Welsh

Consumer Council. In addition, the conference neatly dove-

tails into the Saturday 5 July EU-funded Flair-Flow (food-

linked agro-industry research) consumer concerns ‘Safe to

eat?’ panel debate for which free tickets are available from

Sally Cockroft (E-mail: [email protected]). This event is

being sponsored by the British Nutrition Foundation and

attendance is by ticket only.

The organizing committee look forward to saying Croeso i

Gymru (welcome to Wales) to those delegates and presenters

attending the event in July.

Further details of the conference are available from

http://www.instituteconsumersciences.co.uk

Dr Ruth Fairchild

Chair, organizing committee

27Miscellaneous

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Development of a food and health strategy for Cardiff

Bruce Whitear

1

, Maria Z. Morgan

2

and Ruth M. Fairchild

3

1 Bro Taf Health Authority, Trenewydd, Cardiff, Wales, UK2 Public Dental Health, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff Wales, UK

3

School of Applied Sciences, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Colchester Avenue, Cardiff Wales, UK

This keynote address will cover the background to, research

involved in and presentation of a Food and Health Strategy for

Cardiff.

The work involved:

1 A rapid appraisal of over 20 initiatives, which promote the

availability and consumption of safe, healthy and sustainable

food within Cardiff.

2 Recommendations for membership of a food and health strat-

egy working party.

3 The preparation of a framework document as a starting point

for the working party.

4 The meeting of the working party and key-stakeholders to

produce a final strategy for Cardiff incorporating sustainable

development, food quality, safety and hygiene, food availabil-

ity, education and nutrition.

5 Ensuring that the Cardiff strategy reflected the broad aims

and objectives of already existing pertinent documents, e.g.

National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease,

National Service Framework for Diabetes, Nutrition Strategy

for Wales, Cardiff Strategy for a Healthy City, A Community

Strategy for Cardiff, Local Sustainability Strategy for Cardiff.

The presentation will consist of key findings in terms of best

practice, evaluation of successful initiatives and intercollaborative

working.

27Miscellaneous

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http://www.instituteconsumersciences.co.uk

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INDUSTRY PAPERS

Will consumers accept irradiated food products?

Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr

Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843-2124, USA

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 76

million people get sick, more than 300 000 are hospitalised, and

5000 Americans die each year from food-borne illness. Research

over the past 40 years has shown, however, that food irradiation

can decrease the incidence of food-borne illness and disease.

Despite this benefit, food irradiation has been the focus of much

controversy for years. Proponents of irradiation claim that it will

improve food product safety by reducing harmful bacteria. Oppo-

nents, on the other hand, raise concerns about its long-term

health effects, nutrient loss, and worker safety at irradiation facil-

ities. The debate intensified recently when the US government

approved the use of irradiation to kill

E. coli

0157:H7 and other

harmful bacteria in ground beef and other raw meat. The US

Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration

are also expected to decide soon whether to allow the process

to be used on sandwich meats, hot dogs, and similar packaged

food products.

This study examines consumer willingness to pay for irradiated

beef products. About 58% of the respondents are willing to pay

a premium for irradiated beef. An ordered probit with sample

selection model was estimated. Our findings suggest that

females and those who think that improper handling contributes

to food poisoning are more likely to pay a premium of 50 cents

per pound of irradiated beef than others. Those who trust the

irradiation technology are more likely to pay a premium of

between 5 and 25 cents per pound for irradiated beef.

27Miscellaneous

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A comparative investigation between functional foods and their alternatives with respect to medical claims made

Catherine Harrison and Ian Brown

School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

This study sets out to investigate claims made by manufacturers

regarding the medical benefits of some functional foods. A range

of functional foods has come onto the market, providing the

potential for customers to tailor their food choices more closely

to their needs, providing they understand how to incorporate the

appropriate products into their diet.

Claims regarding beneficial effects include: prevention or

reduced risk of a symptom or disease such as osteoporosis with

those foods enriched with calcium, enhancement of the digestive

system by using probiotic yoghurt drinks or the treatment of

disease by introducing plant sterols to reduce LDL cholesterol

and thus the risk of heart disease.

Data were collected from the nutritional information provided

by the manufacturers and analysed comparatively by contrasting



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the functional food with their ‘everyday’ alternative, which do not

make any special claims.

Results show that in the majority of cases the actual

claims made by the manufacturer were not substantiated

and actually proved misleading and deceptive. It was considered

that most products were over-rated with regard to price and

function.

The work concludes that whilst functional foods are now estab-

lished on the market in many cases the claims are not substan-

tiated and in some cases products have been withdrawn.

27Miscellaneous

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CONSUMER EMPOWERMENT AND EDUCATION

Adult consumer education across Europe – redressing the market or reaching the vulnerable consumer

Maria Schuh

1

and Mike Kitson

2

1 EU Socrates Grundtvig 1 CEA project, Pädagogische Akademie des Bundes in Wien, Ettenreichg. 45A, A 1100 Wien, Austria2 School of Health and Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, 166–220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, UK

Consumer education is an important EU and United Nations

priority. In most countries’ formal education systems, it is not a

single discipline in its own right, but a cross-curricular subject

involving many areas of the school curriculum. Adult consumers

are expected to be critical and informed consumers but may not

know how to acquire the appropriate skills. The formal school

system in many countries has failed to deliver these skills and

values and adults need consumer education through both formal

and informal means. With increasingly varied societies consumer

education will help to produce active socially responsible citizens

and citizenship is an essential element of the delivery of consumer

education to adults. It is particularly important that consumer

education should reach the vulnerable groups in society. Increas-

ing globalisation and business power necessitate ethical and

sustainable business practices; an informed, educated and

empowered consumer will strengthen the market place to the

benefit of both consumers and business.

Unlike school education, adult education across Europe is

fragmented with a mixture of formal education, including

training for vocational qualifications, continuing and community

education, and informal education, an essential contributor to

life-long learning delivered through media, women’s groups,

consumer groups and many other large and small organisations.

The issues have been addressed by the EU Socrates

supported CEA (Consumer Education for Adults) project

which has 10 partners from 7 European countries drawn

from non-government organisations, teacher training and adult

education institutions, universities and research institutes. The

project has produced a training manual for adult consumer

education, a training module, piloted in Vienna, which includes a

handbook of teaching materials and a video, and has initiated a

dialogue between consumers, consumer educators, business

and producers.

27Miscellaneous

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An investigative study of adult consumer education and lifelong learning needs in the United Kingdom and Latvia

Mike Kitson

1

, Vija Dislere

2

and Helen Harrison

1

1 School of Health and Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, 166–220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, UK2 Institute of Education and Home Economics, Latvia University of Agriculture, Cakstes bulv. 5, Jelgava, LV-3001, Latvia

Consumer education in Latvia is in the early stages of develop-

ment and should be seen in the context of the rapidly changing

society in the post-Soviet era and the increasing influence of the

marketplace, and Latvia’s position as a new accession country.

The Latvia University of Agriculture is in the process of devel-

oping an adult consumer education programme.

A comparative study between the UK and Latvia was designed

to test the hypothesis that many adult consumers lack knowledge

and understanding of their consumer rights and responsibilities.

A sample of adults in both countries completed a consumer rights

questionnaire investigating attitude, knowledge and critical think-

ing ability. The UK questionnaire was modified, taking into

account the different consumer environment in the two countries,

to compare the need for adult consumer education in Latvia and

the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom results showed that the group overall

were not confident that they knew enough about consumer rights

and legislation or to resolve consumer problems and were unsure

about their consumer responsibilities. Levels of knowledge were

poor, leaving adults vulnerable to exploitation in the marketplace,

uninformed about their responsibilities to voice dissatisfaction

about goods and services, and unaware of how their consumer

behaviour can affect the wider community.

Adult participants in Latvia thought that they lacked education

in consumer legal rights and responsibilities and did not have the

necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to manage con-

sumer problems effectively.

Results in both countries indicate that adult consumer educa-

tion is needed, supplemented by a comprehensive package of

adult consumer education. Despite the cultural differences

between the two countries, the analysis showed that similar adult

consumer skills and attitudes were needed.

This joint research has shown that this methodology could be

used to determine adult consumer and life-long consumer edu-

cation needs in other European countries and internationally.

27Miscellaneous

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Abstracts

The aim of consumer education has mainly been to teach and

educate students to be and act as informed, rational and prudent

consumers. This understanding of consumption as reasoned

behaviour or action is inadequate in the late modern society,

where consumerism is first and foremost characterised by glo-

balisation, cultural change and the liberation of the individual.

The results of a research study involving Danish pupils aged

12–19 present a picture where consumption is both connected

to material and immaterial aspects of life. Consumption as

such has a significant impact on and meaning for the single

person: it becomes a way human beings communicate and

interact. Consumption is part of children’s and youngsters’ for-

mation and socialisation, and plays a role in the develop-

ment of identity and self-conception.

Formal institutional consumer enlightenment and the edu-

cation of students in a class stand in contradiction to infor-

mal consumer socialisation and the education of individuals. The

educational project may be described as ‘educating for critical

consumer awareness and action competence’. But consumer

education is located in the field of tension between ‘consumer-

ship’ and ‘citizenship’. The pilot study seeks to address and

integrate consumer socialization and consumer education in

order to reflect on empowerment as part of education.

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts

Consumer education in the UK: new developments in policy, strategy and implementation

Carol Brennan

1

and Katrina Ritters

2

1 School of Business and Enterprise, Queen Margaret University College, Clerwood Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 8TS, UK2 3 Burberry Grove, Balsall Common, Coventry CV7 7RB, UK

Consumer empowerment in consumer education. Experiences from educational and consumer studiesof youngsters

Jette Benn

The Danish University of Education, Department of Curriculum Research, Emdrupvej 101, DK 2400 Copenhagen NV

Consumer education is an integral part of the European Com-

munity’s consumer policy. It plays a key role in consumer

empowerment, helping consumers gain the skills, attitudes and

knowledge they need to be able to gear the choices they make

as consumers to their economic interests and to protecting their

health and safety. In its policy statement, the Directorate General

for Health and Consumer Protection states that the European

Community is aware that joint measures at national and

Community levels should be more structured, in order to achieve

maximum effectiveness.

This presentation/paper aims to set out the current policy and

strategic context for consumer education and empowerment in

the UK; review the role of UK government bodies and other

agencies concerned with developments; review recent literature;

present the results of interviews with an extensive range of key

stakeholders and the results of a survey of service heads for

Abstracts

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Trading Standards throughout the UK. It will consider implemen-

tation, partnership, resources, ideas and opportunities.

The research found that the agenda for consumer education

in the UK is at an interesting stage of development. The Enter-

prise Act 2002 gives the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) a statutory

power to carry out educational activities. Consumer education is

also moving up the agenda in the Trading Standards Service. In

addition, the teaching of citizenship in English schools is already

stimulating new developments in consumer education.

The paper will consider the need for organisations like these

to work together to build on these policy developments and

ensure that consumer education gains the profile it needs to

influence consumer attitudes and behaviour.

27Miscellaneous

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How to create tools to empower the consumer – the challenges of home economics/FCS and home economics teacher education

Kaija Turkki

Department of Home Economics and Craft Science, University of Helsinki, Finland

The aim of this presentation is to introduce some new frame-

works that have been under discussion in developing university

studies in the field of home economics or family and consumer

sciences in Finland. The empirical data is derived from students’

contributions during their university studies in the degree pro-

gram for home economics teachers at the Master’s level. The

main data is based on students’ opinions and conceptions about

strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O) and threats (T)

of their university discipline and field to meet the future chal-

lenges. All students are at the level of advanced studies (mainly

4th year), and the number of students is 34. All have some school

experience as a home economics teacher and most also have

some other work experience in the field of home economics,

family and consumer sciences.

The research questions were: (1) How do the students see

their field according to the SWOT analysis? and (2) What

type of developments do they pose for the future? There was

also an implementation section. Students were asked to pro-

duce their own ‘action plan’ for the next few years.

The preliminary data analysis reveals that inside the discipline

and the field there are several empowerment elements, but also

that they are not used as efficiently as they could be.

In conclusion, most students have a very realistic view of their

studies. They can analyse them in diverse ways, and reveal

important qualifications. They are aware of the various chal-

lenges that face us in both the present and future societies.

Students also see that home economics not only gives them tools

that are relevant in present school situations, but the subject

includes such future potentials that can be used in directing the

school towards the more open learning environments. Home

economics has its place inside the education system. Both the

idea of ‘home economics teacher as a researcher’ and ‘home

economics teacher as an educator’ were seen as important aims

to maintain in the university degree.

27Miscellaneous

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Abstracts

Who speaks for the consumer?

Elizabeth Goldsmith

Department of Textiles and Consumer Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA

In 2002 and 2003, I was selected as a funded consumer repre-

sentative and a member of the Board of Trustees of the

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). This

abstract describes the experience and what it means to

empower consumers. Although the example given is from the

US, the principles are applicable to other countries.

NAIC is the association of the chief insurance regulators of the

50 states, four territories, and the District of Columbia. As a

consumer representative I attend four national meetings each

year to speak up on behalf of the fair and equitable treatment of

consumers. The purpose of NAIC is to improve state insurance

regulation by facilitating a degree of uniformity of regulation

among the states (Cude, 1997). To ensure that consumers were

heard, NAIC created its Consumer Participation Program in 1992

(Cude, 1995).

At a typical meeting, there are about 500 regulators, 1000

industry representatives, and 13 consumer representatives. Five

of the 13 are selected to serve on the Board. The consumer

representatives include professors, lawyers, economists, and

community activists. Being so few in number, the question arises:

How effective can we be? The fundamental responsibility is to

represent consumers’ viewpoints, to give authority to or to voice

their perspective that is the definition of empowerment. This quite

literally means going to the microphones at NAIC meetings, but

it also means working behind the scenes drafting policy and

model laws.

According to A. Coskun Samli (2001), empowering the con-

sumer will benefit society as a whole. It will expand the economy.

Serving as a consumer representative is indeed a worthwhile

challenge, a chance to change things for the better.

27Miscellaneous

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Money talks – a program to improve financial literacyof teens

Karen P. Varcoe

1

and Paula Rene Fitch

2

1 Consumer Economics Specialist, 139 Highlander Hall, Bldg C, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA2 Cooperative Extension Imperial County, 1050 East Holton Road, Holtville, CA 92250-9615, USA

Many researchers have studied and documented the financial

literacy of youth. Even more have developed educational pro-

grams or curricula to teach financial and consumer issues to

youth; however, few have actually evaluated the effectiveness of

their programs. The

Money Talks: Should I be Listening?

curric-

ulum, developed by a University of California Cooperative Exten-

sion team, was created to appeal to teenagers as it increased

their financial literacy. In order to develop a program that young

people would readily use, and from which they would learn,

teenagers were surveyed prior to program development to deter-

mine the topics that were relevant to them, the educational format

that appealed to them, and when and where they preferred to

receive the information (Varcoe, Peterson, Garrett, Martin, Rene,

& Costello, 2001).

This paper discusses the effectiveness of The

Money Talks:

Should I be Listening?

curriculum on the financial knowledge and

Abstracts

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behaviour of participants using the series. The curriculum was

designed for use as a part of school curriculum as well as for

presentation in other venues.

The findings indicate that using the curriculum did improve

the financial literacy of high school students with significant

positive changes in both knowledge and behaviour. They have

a better understanding of the value of savings and have

changed behaviours. It is interesting to note that the males

demonstrated a significantly greater increase in knowledge

from pre-test to post-test than females. Perhaps the females

have more interest in or knowledge of financial issues prior to

participation in this project?

Overall the results of this study are consistent with the findings

of others. Research based curricula in personal finance seem to

yield results. This age group has specific requirements for

method of delivery and location of the seminars suggesting that

it is important to keep the materials interactive. To address this

issue, a web-site http://www.moneytalks.ucr.edu was added to

the program. Included on the web-site are interactive games and

a video on the importance of saving. The teens are naturally more

interested in learning about the consumer and financial issues

they perceive as salient in their lives at that particular time.

Educators should identify topics of interest to the teens and

develop, or use existing, interactive methodology to present the

information.

27Miscellaneous

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The way we live: understanding the acquisition of living skills to facilitate the consumer empowerment of young people in the 21st century

Suzanne Horne, Paul Hewer and Karen Kerr

Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

This research seeks to understand the perceived sources of

acquisition of living skills by young people and to examine the

formal and informal channels of acquisition. The study focuses

particularly on the concept of living skills. These are the skills of

transition, of growing up, and independence. For the purpose of

the research the skills investigated are those associated (or for-

merly associated) with the school subject of Home Economics

and were distilled from past curricula and documentation (DES,

1985; SCP, 1971). They cover three types of skill: social/interper-

sonal, cognitive and manual. Social skills include awareness of

others, and a sense of responsibility, which is the basis of child-

care and showing tolerance of and concern and consideration for

others. Cognitive skills are those associated with decision-

making and management, they involve thinking, reasoning and

the use of knowledge. Manual skills are concerned with the use

of the hands, with dexterity and with the achievement of specific

goals, for example the ability to use tools and appliances with

emphasis on the safe handling of them. They can also be linked

to knowledge in terms of, for example aspects of food safety and

hygiene.

Research to date has failed to tackle the concept of acquisition

of the skills of transition from home to independent living. Most

research is focused on skills pertaining to a particular occupation

role (Newman and Newman, 1988; Blustein

et al.

, 1989; Nurmi

et al.

, 1994) rather than those of living skills.

Respondents were asked where they had learnt most about

manual, cognitive and social skills. To facilitate analysis the chan-

nels were condensed to family (mother, father, other family mem-

bers), community (friends, voluntary organisations), self (trial and

error, television, books and magazines), taught (at school, uni-

versity and work), with a final category of ‘never learnt’ (catego-

ries adapted from Macbeth, 1989).

The findings revealed that the perceived acquisition of these

living skills was through informal channels. From this research it

can be argued that the family, being the main perceived source

of acquisition of living skills creates the right time, the right place

http://www.moneytalks.ucr.edu



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and facilitates exchange efficiencies. However, in this over-

dependence on an informal framework it is unlikely that dis-

crepancies of skill provision can be alleviated. Additionally,

standardisation may be difficult if not impossible to achieve.

Compounding this is the tendency of young people to have to

resort to self-learning, which it could be argued is acceptable for

some skills but not for those reliant on correct information input

(such as food hygiene and nutrition).

27Miscellaneous

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Expenditure patterns on food and non food items of Khayelitsha households, Western Cape, South Africa

L.L. Maliwichi

1

, L. Bourne

2

and L. Mokoena

3

1 University of Venda for Science and Technology, Department of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences, PB X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa2 Medical Research Council of South Africa, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa 3 University of the Western Cape, South Africa

Food insecurity or lack of access to adequate and nutritious food

is a major determinant of under-nutrition. Expenditure patterns

accompanied by unemployment, low level of education, inflation

and high food prices have a direct negative impact on food

availability within households (Moller, 1997). Ghany and Schwenk

(1993) found that as household income increases, the proportion

of expenditures on food decreases, the proportion of expenditures

on clothing, rent, fuel, and light stayed the same and that of

sundries increased.

The aim of this study was to investigate household expenditure

patterns on food and non-food items in Khayelitsha. A total of 20

households (10 from the formal and 10 from the informal settle-

ments) were randomly selected from those willing to participate

in the study. A questionnaire with open ended and closed ques-

tions was used to collect data. The questionnaire comprised four

sections namely: biographical information, socio-economic infor-

mation which used wealth quintiles to assess households’ social

economic status, total expenditure information and a food/hunger

scale was used to assess households’ food availability.

The findings revealed that households from informal settle-

ments spent more money (62.2%) as a proportion of their income

on food compared to households from the formal settlement

(39%). There was higher unemployment rate (100%) at the infor-

mal settlement compared to the formal settlement (40%). Wealth

quintiles scales did not reflect the social status of the households

as equipment and assets owned by households were only used

as fallback position during times of economic hardships.

Households used different purchasing strategies; food and

non-food items were mainly purchased from outside the township

(60%). Forty percent of the households bought their items from

local shops and spazas because they allowed them to buy items

whenever little money was available or to take items on credit.

All the respondents preferred to buy bread and small items from

spazas and local shops. Prices of items in the spazas and local

shops were higher compared to prices of items in bigger shops

outside the townships.

The food/hunger scale and wealth quintiles showed that infor-

mal settlement households were more food insecure (as they

were all unemployed and about 50% of the households ran out

of food always) and had fewer assets compared to the formal

settlement households.

The implications of these findings underscore the need to

improve socio-economic conditions of low resource households

through empowerment programs. These programs can be in the

form of training in management/decision making, work related

skills/literacy (to help them access formal employment), business

management/income generation skills (to help them to be self-

employed), budgeting, and food gardening. This approach can

help to increase the resource base and alleviate food insecurity

in low resource households.

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Participation of working women in decision-making process as consumer

S. Bhatti and R. Srivastava

Home Economics, Tonota College of Education, Botswana

In a world where the role of women in decision-making is seldom

adequately appreciated, they make a remarkable contribution

due to their hard work and sense of confidence. It is observed

that women are mostly involved in repetitive and monotonous

household work irrespective of the fact that they share most of

family responsibilities and perform a wide range of duties in and

outside home. On the other hand men perform activities, which

require skills, but there is sufficient evidence, which show a clear,

although slow shift of stereotype sex roles.

In early societies, decision-making was predominantly done by

menfolk being the breadwinner of the family. With modernization

and education women have been empowered to make the best

use of human and non-human resources in management of the

family with respect to efficient use of time and energy. So, a study

was undertaken to know how far the working women of Faridkot

district participate in the decision-making process with the follow-

ing objectives:

(a) to find out the level of participation of working women in the

decision-making process as consumer.

(b) to find out the level of difficulty among working women at

different steps of the decision-making process.

The present investigation pertaining to Faridkot district of Punjab

state of India was exploratory in nature. A sample of 100 working

women was selected by simple random sampling procedure. The

responses were recorded through a well structured and pretested

questionnaire including an index developed to measure level of

participation and difficulty as realized by working women in the

decision-making process. After collecting the data, it was analy-

sed by employing simple statistical tests like frequency

percentages

The important findings emanated out of the present investiga-

tion are as follows:

• Most of the respondents were middle aged, educated up to

graduation level, having nuclear family, small size of family

with monthly income more than Rs.5000.00. It was also

observed that majority of the respondents were in the teaching

and medical professions.

• Working women were found to be involved more in the case

of food items (79.0–93.0%) as compared to non-food items

(6.0–46.0%) with an exception of their major participation

(78.0%) at the stage of identifying the problem in case of non-

food items.

• The study revealed that the time consumed at various steps

of consumer decision-making process is minimum for most of

the steps in case of food items but moderate to maximum in

case of non-food items. But for analysing the alternatives the

time consumed was moderate to maximum for both the

categories.

• Findings also revealed that difficulty level was from moderateto high (32.0–98.0%) in most of the steps in case of food itemswhereas, in case of non-food items it was from low to high(11.0–78.0%)

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts



27

, 3, June 2003, pp218–251

229

Abstracts

Consumer Network Wales

Sheila Kurowska

Welsh Consumer Council

The Welsh Consumer Council launched its online interactive

consumer network in July 2001 with the aim of linking up individ-

ual consumers across the country, stimulating discussion and

debate on consumer issues and strengthening the voice of con-

sumers in Wales.

By October 2002, the network had recruited 300 members. The

Council aims to reach a membership of 1000 by 2004. As well

as individual consumers, the network has recruited 34 voluntary

and community organisations that are committed to working with

the Council to ensure that disadvantaged consumers without

home Internet access can participate in the network

At the heart of the network is a bilingual discussion area within

the Council’s one-stop consumer information website where

members can post their views, comments and observations on

any consumer issue that concerns them. Over the past year,

lively discussions have developed on subjects as diverse as IT

and electronic communications, customer call centres, recycling,

money-making schemes and energy saving in the home. Early

in 2002, the network began to run regular online surveys on

topical consumer issues. The first survey asked about members’

experiences of returning goods and their knowledge of consumer

rights. The second asked about members’ attitudes to recycling

and reducing waste. Both surveys received a high level of

response and provided valuable and up to date information on

the experiences and views of consumers from all parts of Wales

on these important issues.

The continuing expansion of the consumer network is central

to the Council work in helping to foster a consumer movement in

Wales which is informed, responsible, demanding and assertive.

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts

FOOD EMPOWERMENT, EDUCATION AND MARKETING

Food deserts – an example of social exclusion?

Chris Strugnell

1

, Sinead Furey

2

and Heather Farley

1

1 School of Hotel, Leisure and Tourism, University of Ulster, N. Ireland BT37 OQB, UK2 General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, Belfast, UK

The ‘food desert’ is a fairly recent phenomenon with emotive

and political overtones. It has been described as an area of

social deprivation where people do not have easy access to

healthy and affordable food. Northern Ireland has undergone

a retail revolution with the arrival of the UK mainland multiples,

the spatial restructuring of the retailing industry to edge-of-

town sites and the associated effects on town centre food

stores. The research initiative has been considerable in Britain

but deficient in Northern Ireland; hence the urgent need for this

study

This study investigated the food accessibility and ultimate

potential existence of food deserts in both rural and urban areas

of Northern Ireland using microstudies of four provincial towns.

The research methodology was both intensive and extensive

using perceptual and experiential evidence of principal shoppers

from 1094 Northern Ireland households. The study allowed for

Abstracts

230


27

, 3, June 2003, pp218–251


the validation of results via a varied range of research tools, e.g.

case studies, focus groups, interviews, observations and an

extensive questionnaire.

Results indicated that certain consumer cohorts (particularly

the car-less and lower income consumers) were excluded from

equitable shopping provision. Evidence suggested that urban

consumers might exist in somewhat self-imposed food deserts,

exacerbated by the fact that consumers on lower incomes

shopped locally and more frequently than their higher income

counterparts. Low-income family units also exhibited lower levels

of cooking skills, and therefore tended to purchase convenience

foods from higher priced local retail outlets. Shopping basket

analyses revealed the price disparities that existed within store

types and between towns while consumer focus groups qualified

the extent of consumer disadvantage experienced by vulnerable

consumer groups. While no town or area was assigned the label

‘food desert’ areas of low provision could be identified with wor-

rying signs that food access was ultimately disparate and ineq-

uitable. This situation is likely to worsen as the full effects of the

retail revolution are realised. Recommendations suggest incre-

mental changes to effect long-term change and an interdiscipli-

nary approach is foreseen as the optimal way to address the

problem. Control of retail developments is seen as essential in

town planning together with the control of retail monopolies in

such areas.

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts

Lone parents, food choice and empowerment

Mark Meadows

Liverpool John Moores University, I. M. Marsh Campus, Barkhill Road, Aigbuth, Liverpool L17 6BD, UK

An extensive body of evidence exists linking low income, poor

diet and poor health (Graham, 1993; Dowler and Calvert, 1995;

Parker, 1998). In response to this the UK government has long

claimed the reason for such inequalities is not because of income

per se, but is underpinned by lack of knowledge and skills and

as such has focused much attention on the role of small scale

community based educational initiatives. These initiatives how-

ever, can only be successful if those whom they are targeted at

are motivated to become involved. To achieve change it has to

be recognised that change is possible, but perhaps more impor-

tantly, that change is needed.

Previous research has produced quantifiable evidence as to

the quality of diet and it has also produced qualitative support of

the difficulties faced by low income groups in attaining diet quality,

but in many cases has not necessarily described the perception

of diet quality amongst low income groups, and the influences

upon such perceptions. If diet is not perceived to be nutritionally

inadequate it may be the case that those whom initiatives would

hope to influence do not feel the need to become involved.

Using a mixed methodology, evidence is provided from a

cohort of lone parents that suggests a confusion may exist

between what constitutes a balanced diet as opposed to a

healthy diet, or indeed a good diet as opposed to a bad diet.

Evidence further demonstrates that many of the food choice

decisions made by lone parents are linked to evaluations of the

quality of parenting they provide. As such, choices are made

subject to social norms yet lack of self-efficacy prevents many

lone parents from challenging societal prescriptions. The paper

concludes that knowledge alone may not be enough to facilitate

an improvement in diet quality for this group and that this may

only be achieved if knowledge and empowerment are addressed

simultaneously.

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts



27

, 3, June 2003, pp218–251

231

Abstracts

Value conflicts in food ethics – causes and possible resolutions

M.J.A. Schröder

1

and M.G. McEachern

2

1 Faculty of Business and Arts, Queen Margaret University College, Clerwood Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 8TS, UK2 School of Management, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK

Ethical attitudes in relation to meat purchases were studied

among urban and rural consumers in Scotland. All subjects per-

ceived at least some ethical issues in relation to animal produc-

tion systems, in particular, systems keeping animals in close

confinement. Welfare friendly production systems were viewed

as adding value to a food, but this value was not necessarily

realisable to producers if purchases occurred only when foods

were on special offer. Statements made by a particular individual

were often contradictory, revealing ambivalence, unresolved

value conflicts and a general lack of involvement in the nature of

meat production. A number of barriers to the establishment of

stable attitudes and behaviours in relation to the ethical treatment

of food animals were identified, including a lack of transparency

of competing production systems, problems with product avail-

ability and a general aversion to confront animal production.

Whilst adequate labelling implies that labels are transparent and

revealing all the essential features of a food, this is not the case

with most farm assurance quality marks. Free-range chicken may

be widely available as a complete carcass, but portions often are

not. Attitude-inconsistent purchasing behaviours were thereby

related to a lack of perceived control on the part of the purchaser

in certain food choice scenarios.

A key finding of the study is that individuals can hold two views

on animal welfare. On the one hand, they may think as citizens

influencing societal standards, and on the other, as consumers

at the point of purchase. As citizens, they support the notion of

animals being entitled to a good life, as meat consumers, they

avoid the mental connection with the live animal. The paper

explores this citizen/consumer relationship and strategies used

by consumers to resolve any resultant value conflicts. Lessons

for public and commercial policy are highlighted in the context of

the Curry Report (2002), which advocates more effective market

segmentation where markets are finely attuned to their custom-

ers, with the development of higher-level assurance schemes

based on the existing ‘Little Red Tractor’ standard.

27Miscellaneous

AbstractsAbstracts

Risk management behaviour by the Northern Irelandfood consumer

Roy Nelson

Loughry College, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland BT80 9AA, UK

The main criteria that consumers use during the decision

making process when purchasing food has traditionally been a

combination of prices, incomes, taste and social attitudes, with

price being seen as the main determinant. However in the past

10 years risk has become a ‘new’ criterion that can affect the

consumer’s decision whether or not to purchase a particular food

item. The effect of the increased awareness of risk has been

observed during the numerous food scares in the last decade

Abstracts

232


27

, 3, June 2003, pp218–251


and in trends for the demand for foods that connote a healthy

image.

This research, carried out in Northern Ireland, looked at how

consumers quantified and managed risk. The research involved

202 primary food consumers and identified the factors that were

perceived to be important from both a societal and a personal

perspective.

Using principal component and cluster analysis societal food

risks were seen as either processing or dietary and personal food

risks were seen as either extrinsic or intrinsic. Further investiga-

tion into the attributes of the personal risk revealed a three-factor

solution described as fear, involvement and newness.

Although these factors cannot be used as predictors of the risk

associated with a particular food, they help to describe and

explain how the risk may be managed. The relationship between

two of the factors, involvement and fear, provides a framework

for understanding the way consumers manage their perception

of the risk, particularly of high-risk items. Consumer and scientific

knowledge of the risk in question, and the degree of control over

the risk were seen as important. The conceptualisation of the

mechanism by which risks are processed and acted upon pro-

vides information regarding risk management and communica-

tion strategies that should be employed by educators, food

retailers and government policy makers.

27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Social marketing and consumers’ experience of lipophobia

Søren Askegaard

SDU Odense University, Denmark

Modern societies are lipophobic: they express a deep anxiety

about fat and fatness. On the other hand, the public discourses

about health and well being, though biased towards lipophobia,

are far from unanimous. The general question is how consum-

ers experience and negotiate contradictory messages of hedo-

nism and ascetics from commercial and governmental agents?

This study more specifically examines the hypothesis that the

governmental campaigns and official messages mediated

through TV, newspapers and other media are largely failing

their target, since they tend to have the biggest impact on peo-

ple, that do not have a serious weight problem, but who never-

theless perceive themselves to be overweight. This is

investigated through an adapted use of the Zaltman Metaphor

Elicitation Technique approach with 20 younger female infor-

mants as well as a set of interviews with selected medical and

political experts and representatives of consumer groups.

The results provide a culturally rooted image of consumers’ fat

intake and dietary practices as well as an attempt to de-

stigmatise consumers’ body imagery, informing future food poli-

cies and the food industry’s satisfaction of public and private

interests in consumers’ dietary patterns. This ends up in a cri-

tique of a certain approach to social marketing in the food

domain. Rather than focusing on informational campaigns

spreading messages that are already known to most people,

more efforts should be put into the basic build-up of a better

general food culture – one that stresses quality over quantity and

which is lipo-conscious rather than lipophobic.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

© 2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd International Journal of Consumer Studies, 27, 3, June 2003, pp218–251 233

Abstracts

Involving consumers in peer-facilitated home-based food hygiene training

L. Stevenson and M. Duval

Consumer Studies Programme, Liverpool John Moores University, I. M. Marsh Campus, Barkhill Road, Liverpool L17 6BD, UK

A community-based food hygiene initiative was piloted in the

Toxteth–Granby area of Liverpool between December 2001 and

March 2002. The project aimed to increase awareness and

behaviour, related to poor food purchase, storage and handling

practices, by actively involving members of the local commu-

nity in home-based peer-facilitated training.

Facilitators (23) were actively recruited from within the Toxteth–

Granby community, and undertook a 4-day induction and training

programme, which included successful completion of the CIEH

Basic Food Hygiene course. Facilitators subsequently recruited

and visited nearly 1000 households (992) within the Toxteth–

Granby electoral ward, undertook an observation sheet, a

detailed questionnaire, and spent approximately 1 hour deliver-

ing food hygiene training. Facilitators returned to all households

within an 8-week period, and completed further observation

sheets and questionnaires, for use in a comparative analysis.

Facilitators and householders received incentives for their

involvement in the project.

Analysis of the data collected showed that general awareness

of a range of food hygiene issues was high (such as hand

washing before handling food), and most participants (73.8%)

were able to recognise the main symptoms of food borne dis-

ease. As a result of the home-based hygiene training there were

significant changes in knowledge, attitudes, and food handling

practices, including the use of refrigerators, purchase of chilled

and frozen foods, washing or peeling of fruits and vegetables,

and the cooking of meat-based products.

The project demonstrates that it is possible for communities to

improve their food hygiene awareness and food handling behav-

iours through home-based peer-facilitated training programmes,

with minimal input from professionals.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Consumers’ attitudes, knowledge, self-reported and actual hand washing behaviour: a challenge for designers of intervention materials

D.A. Clayton1, C.J. Griffith1 and P. Price2

1 Food Safety Research Group, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Colchester Avenue, Cardiff CF23 9XR, UK2 Wound Healing Research Unit, University of Wales College of Medicine, Unit 1 Cardiff Medicentre, Cardiff CF4 4UJ, UK

Cross contamination by microbial pathogens in the kitchen envi-

ronment may play an important role in many cases of food borne

illnesses. Hand washing has been shown to be one of the most

important factors in controlling the spread of microorganisms and

in preventing the spread of disease. However, educational cam-

paigns such as distribution of information leaflets, workshops,

performance feedback and lectures have been, at best, associ-

ated with a transient improvement in compliance rates. In addi-

Abstracts

234 International Journal of Consumer Studies, 27, 3, June 2003, pp218–251 © 2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

tion, the majority of research investigating UK consumers’ food

safety behaviour has examined self-reported as opposed to

actual hand washing behaviour.

This research utilises psychological theory in an attempt to

understand how one might design a more effective hand washing

campaign. Social cognition models were utilised to explore the

relationship between consumers’ knowledge, attitudes, self-

reported and actual hand washing behaviour. The research was

conducted in two stages. Firstly, salient beliefs of 100 consumers

towards food safety were obtained using open-ended questions.

Secondly, the food handling practices of 40 consumers were

observed and their food safety attitudes and knowledge deter-

mined using structured questionnaires.

All the participants were knowledgeable about hand washing

techniques, intended to wash their hands and generally had

positive attitudes towards the importance of washing their hands.

However, none of the participants adequately washed their hands

on all appropriate occasions. The attitude statement results sug-

gest measures of perceived behavioural control, perceived bar-

riers and perceived risk may provide developers of food safety

intervention materials with more useful information compared

with measures of consumers’ knowledge or intention. Issues of

habit and optimistic bias also need to be given consideration

when designing intervention materials to change hand washing

behaviour of consumers.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

The golden age of protein: initial teacher trainee’s perception of food and eating

Liz Lakin

University of Gloucestershire, UK

We make use of proteins in all aspects of our daily lives from

soft-centred sweets to biological washing powders, yet we

often misunderstand their fundamental role in our diet.

This paper will draw on the findings of a three-phase research

project into initial teacher trainee’s perception of food and eating.

Trainees demonstrated several similar misconceptions about the

food they eat and in particular, the role of proteins. Examples

included the role of proteins as an energy source, the relationship

between proteins, amino acids and nitrogen and the role of DNA

in synthesising proteins. These misconceptions were often trans-

lated into practice in the diet the trainees consumed and the

messages they passed on, with confidence, to their pupils. In

addition to the misconceptions, teaching approaches used by the

trainees were highly mechanistic, with little reference being given

to the relationship between food and the circumstances in which

it is eaten.

The relationship between dietary intake and exercise/

circumstance is explored in secondary schools within food tech-

nology lessons. Often, however, it is too late to rectify the deeply

entrenched misconceptions, attitudes and eating habits that

school children have developed in their primary years. This paper

makes the firm recommendation that we should reconsider the

dietary messages we are sending out either directly or indirectly,

to children. It emphasises the need to relate teaching and learn-

ing to everyday experiences. The paper concludes by suggesting

possible strategies by which this may be achieved, with the

protein featuring centre-stage.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

Combating deceptive advertisements and labelling onfood products – an exploratory study on the perceptionsof teachers

Wai-ling Theresa Lai Yeung

Department of Information and Applied Technology, Home Economics Section, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, D3-1/F-01, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, NT, Hong Kong

People are becoming more health conscious nowadays, but most

of them are not able to adopt a lifestyle with adequate physical

exercise and a healthier eating pattern. Many attempt to com-

pensate by taking ‘health foods’. Despite the recent economic

recession, the functional food market expands rapidly in Asian

countries. Recent statistics indicate a huge increase in weight

loss and functional food product advertising expenditure in Hong

Kong and other Asian countries. In a massive survey conducted

by the Hong Kong Consumer Council, it was found that 85% of

the medicines, health food and therapies sampled contain ques-

tionable claims and misleading messages (Consumer Council,

1999). In fact, young people do not understand much about

modern food processing, in particular those present in low energy

and functional foods, and they know very little about the modern

food marketing strategies. The situation is detrimental to con-

sumer welfare especially to the younger generation.

This study attempts to reflect critically on the implications of

these issues for the health and well-being of young people in

Hong Kong. It explores directions for designing relevant and

effective education programmes to empower young people in

understanding food advertising strategies and making informed

decisions on food choice. The paper will begin with a critical

review on the current situation in Hong Kong. An interview survey

on preservice and in-service teachers’ perception towards mis-

leading food advertising and labelling will then be reported. The

situations at schools will be defined and problems faced by teach-

ers in providing relevant consumer education programmes to

students will be identified. Finally, the study will look to the future,

with a view to developing students’ critical skills in evaluating

claims offered in food advertisements.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Abstracts


Schoolchildren’s abilities to frame, understand and successfully manipulate food label information: enabling consumer choice through education

Stephen A. Stuart, Monika J.A. Schröder and John A. Bower

Queen Margaret University College, Corstorphine Campus, Clerwood Terrace, Edinburgh EH 12 8TS, UK

At a time when the major dialogue in food labelling is directed

towards the volume and type of information presented, it is impor-

tant to understand whether adolescents leaving education have

the abilities to comprehend and use the current label as they

represent the next generation of consumers.

Legislation has been created to protect consumers and to

enable them to make informed food choices. Food labels carry a

significant volume of mandatory and voluntary information,

designed to fulfil a variety of commercial and consumer functions.

For these laws to be effective at an individual level, it is important

that information is framed correctly, and that people can manip-

ulate the data in an accurate and meaningful manner.

In order to optimise food label information consumers require

some competence across three different conceptual dimen-

sions: maths, English comprehension, and health and nutrition.

Most individuals acquire such skills at school.

The pilot research that this paper describes investigates

changes in the abilities to frame, comprehend and manipulate

label information, of 19 schoolchildren at one secondary school

in Scotland. The main research, to be conducted in 2003, will

include over a thousand children from another seven Scottish

schools.

Statistical analysis indicates that there is a significant improve-

ment in the dimensions of both maths and English comprehen-

sion between levels S1 and S5, whilst the health and nutrition

dimension does not show such significance.

Each dimension has been measured against attitudes towards

the use of labels in shopping and cooking to determine if the

differences between those who use labels and those who do not

are significant

The research also proposes a new method of presenting nutri-

tion information to make it more meaningful to individuals across

a wide spectrum of competence by reducing the number of

conceptual components required to comprehend it.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

Participation at the local level is an important factor in determin-

ing the success of programmes developed to achieve sustainable

development. This paper is concerned with debates over the role

of the individual citizen in relation to that participatory process.

In particular, it focuses on the UK government’s citizens’ environ-

mental initiative ‘Going for Green’. Through this initiative a five-

point Green Code was developed to assist in the delivering

of its sustainable development message. The initiative’s overall

approach to participation was based on an assumption that the

primary barrier to translating environmental concern into local

action was a lack of information, and individuals would respond

to messages in a similar way.

As a research strategy, the case study was used to evaluate

methods and processes used to implement the initiative’s pilot

Sustainable Communities Project in two comparative geograph-

ical communities in Merthyr Tydfil (South Wales). Research find-

ings from this study have demonstrated that the case study was

invaluable in terms of understanding the participatory process

and experiences of a broad range of community stakeholders.

Promoting a single model of participation was found to restrict

the participatory process in terms of who was encouraged to

participate, the scope of their participation, and those outcomes

that could be achieved. This paper concludes that if significant

progress is to be made in relation to achieving sustainable devel-

opment, the role of individual citizens needs to be extended

beyond that of a consumer of the environment, and also include

active participation in a process that is based on collective action.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Sustainable consumption

S. Kurowska

Welsh Consumer Council, UK

Sustainability is one of the most important issues facing the world

today, and yet many consumers are confused about what the

term means. The question of how to create and maintain a

sustainable lifestyle is a complicated one. How can we live in a

way that meets the needs of the present generation without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own

needs? Would consumers understand the issue better if we used

the phrase ‘responsible consumption’?

The Welsh Consumer Council is working on a number of

projects that look at different aspects of sustainable develop-

ment. Wales has one of the only governments in the world with

a statutory duty to promote sustainable development, and yet

SUSTAINABILITY

Can we learn to live differently? Lessons from‘Going for Green’

Andrea J. Collins

BRASS, 54 Park Place, Cardiff University, UK

Abstracts


patterns of consumption are spiralling out of control. If every-

one in the world lived like consumers in Wales, we would need

nearly two extra planets to sustain ourselves. In the fields of

energy, food, waste, water, and travel, we are using up far

more resources than can be replenished.

This paper will examine the progress of sustainable develop-

ment in Wales in the wake of the World Summit on Sustainable

Development in Johannesburg in August 2002. It will provide an

overview of current consumption patterns and will identify some

of the main factors inhibiting people in Wales from making more

sustainable consumer choices. It will examine the popular image

of sustainability, and will also identify what drivers are in place to

encourage sustainable consumption.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Consumption structure and atmospheric pollution in Spain: towards a higher sustainability

Rosa Duarte1 and Vicent Alcántara2

1 Dept. Análisis Económico, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain2 Departamento de Economía Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain

The aim of this paper is to analyse the responsibility of Spanish

demand composition (particularly private and public consump-

tion) in the actual levels of atmospheric pollution in Spain. To that

end, and on the basis of an input–output model, we set out to

identify the environmental pollution generated both directly and

indirectly by the economic sectors in order to obtain a determined

final demand. We focus on three atmospheric pollutants, namely

SOx, NOx and CO2. After identifying the key sectors in the gen-

eration of these types of pollution, we estimate the effect that a

change in final consumption will have on the global level of

pollution. As a consequence, we can evaluate the effectiveness

of different demand policies when seeking to control this global

pollution. These policies, directed mainly towards a change in

private and public consumption, can hopefully contribute towards

the objective of achieving sustainable development.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

Home hygiene, habits and sustainability in atheoretical framework

P.M.J. Terpstra

Wageningen University Department Consumer Technology & Product Use, PO Box 8060, 6700 DA Wageningen, The Netherlands

The number of intestinal infections that are acquired in the

domestic environment is substantial; for The Netherlands 2

million infections per year are estimated. Some of these

infections are caused by the consumption of contaminated

food. But others are caused by other sources like contami-

nated surfaces and objects in the living environment, pets

and contaminated air. According to present insights this sec-

ond group of infections might even be bigger then the nutri-

tional part. So it is evident that soil and dirt in a living

environment pose a health risk for the people involved.

Domestic cleaning is a proper means to raise the level of

hygiene in the home. Efficient cleaning processes do not only

remove visible soil and stains but remove micro organisms also

in an effective way. Therefore the hidden target of cleaning is the

elimination of germs from the living environment.

Traditional cleaning processes were highly efficient in removing

both soil and germs. When objects and surfaces were perceiv-

ably clean this implied also that they were clean from a hygienic

point of view. In the last decades this picture has changed sub-

stantially. Visually clean does not imply any longer that the level

of hygiene is adequate. Several social changes and technological

measures meant to achieve a sustainable society appear to be

responsible for this phenomenon. The results of various

researches including a recent study on European level into this

relationship support this statement.

In the paper the impact of past social and technological

changes on home hygiene and the nature of the relation between

cleanliness and hygiene in the domestic setting will be elabo-

rated. In addition it will be discussed what implications this

change can have for the members of the household, and how a

household has to deal with it.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Abstracts


Consumer science: a science for sustainability

Anne Sibbel

Consumer Science, Department of Food Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3001

Consumers are essentially decision-makers, with a strong influ-

ence in the product chain. Establishing sustainable global

resource systems, across developed and developing nations, is

dependent on finding ways to encourage consumers to prioritise

environmental issues as one of the key determinants of their

consumption decisions. More than this, all stakeholders in the

product chain must become aware of their impacts on the psy-

chological, social, cultural, physical and economic environments

that predispose consumers to certain approaches when making

consumption decisions.

Conventional science has not provided the solutions for several

reasons. Pure science and technology have developed according

to different agendas and interests. Science has generally not

been communicated in ways that allow consumers to make day-

to-day decisions, fully informed of the implications. The barriers

to genuine interdisciplinary research required to generate socially

relevant solutions to the complex problems associated with

traditional consumption patterns are only now being slowly

overcome.

Due to its interdisciplinary and integrated nature, consumer

science provides a theoretical platform from which to formulate

the core questions, articulated within a framework in which all

stakeholders can contribute in synergistic ways to reverse the

escalating rates of resource depletion, disparities of resources

between groups, loss of species and pervasive pollution. There

is no other discipline which offers an encompassing and inte-

grated framework for the responsible communication of science

necessary to describe the problems. Most importantly, consumer

science has the capacity to research and interpret individual and

social behaviour in ways which lead to innovative and effective

controls to improve and sustain new standards for living on this

vulnerable plant.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

SOCIAL MARKETING AND CONSUMER CHOICE/PRODUCT SAFETY

Safe for whom? The tangled web of patient medication

N.J. Gould

Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, School of Care Sciences, Glyntaf Campus, University of Glamorgan, Treforest CF37 1DL, UK

Product safety is related to consumer/user competence. Phar-

maceutical products usually have high associated risks that can

be compounded by irregular consumption practices. Of particular

concern are older people who, due to a variety of reasons, cannot

comply with pharmacy instructions. Medication compliance for

this group often depends on co-ordinating the efforts of formal

and informal carers. Failure to co-ordinate can lead to both seri-

ous medical consequences and litigation against carers.

Based on the experiences of an action research project, the

paper initially details the substantive issues within a product/

service-delivery framework. The roles of agents and surrogate

shoppers are noted. The wider regulatory and legal context is

then explored with reference to the pharmaceutical industry

and health and social care providers. These local and global

considerations give rise to a discussion of the applicability of

existing theoretical approaches to the problem of ensuring the

timely and accurate administration of medication for vulnerable

older people. In formulating the specifications of service re-

design using complexity and network theories, the continued

relevance of traditional (e.g. 4Ps/7Ps) and current (e.g. rela-

tionship) marketing paradigms is demonstrated. In conclusion,

the paper highlights the need to balance risks, rights and

responsibilities in cases where strict forms of empowerment

are inappropriate.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

How do patients make use of health-related information from the Internet? Investigating the views of the public and healthcare professionals

Gina Dolan

Research Unit, School of Care Sciences, University of Glamorgan CF37 1DL, UK

Patients’ use of health-related information from the Internet is

increasing at an exponential rate. Although we have some infor-

mation about how health professionals use the Internet (Roscoe,

1998; Wilson, 1999) we know little about how patients utilise this

information. Some patients may actively seek information to

assume more responsibility for their health. However, others may

feel forced into doing so because of failing confidence in health

care provision. Health professionals have the potential to assist

patients to make sense of health information from the Internet;

however, they may not necessarily welcome this role (Wilson,

1999; Eberhart-Phillips et al., 2000). This study aims to evaluate

patient use of such information in primary care and to establish

how this can be directed in the future.

851 adult patients from general practice were surveyed about

the health information they use, including the Internet. 50 patients

from the survey were then randomly selected for interview.

Abstracts


12 health care professionals were also interviewed about

how patients use the Internet and the impact this has on

consultations.

The majority of patients (80%) prefer to use their GP as a

source of health information. The remaining sources of informa-

tion received significantly lower ratings. However, the Internet

was the second most preferred source of information (7%).

Of those using the Internet about two thirds felt more prepared

and able to participate in decision-making about treatments.

The majority of patients rely on their doctor for health informa-

tion. However, many patients actively use the Internet as an

information source. The use of Internet information during con-

sultations is on the increase, and although patients are positive

about such use, doctors do not necessarily welcome Internet

informed patients. It is now necessary to identify the training

needs of health care professionals for dealing appropriately with

Internet informed patients.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Factors influencing the search for information about genetically modified food products

M.J. Kolodinsky and T.R. Narsana

University of Vermont, 202 Morrill Hall, Burlington, VT 05405, USA

A recent application of biotechnology to food is genetic modifica-

tion. Genetically modified (GM) plants, animals and processed

foods have been introduced to the international marketplace in

the 1990s. As scientific and technological progress in modern

biotechnology continues at a breakthrough pace, the consumers

are presented with different types and levels of information that

is potentially relevant for making choices.

Findings from studies of consumer attitudes and awareness

towards GM products have varied greatly. Many studies, how-

ever, have indicated that public opinions about GM products are

not fully formed and the task of informing the public is far from

over. This study expands on previous research by examining the

factors that influence the search for information about GM prod-

ucts. Utilizing the theory of consumer behaviour and information

search, we analyse consumers’ information search patterns

about GM products. Specifically, we estimate the probability that

consumers search for information actively, passively or do not

search for information at all, and the factors influencing this

search.

An ordered probit model is formulated to measure the factors,

both economic and behavioural, that influence in-formation

search by consumers for GM products. Variables representing

the informational attitudes and behaviour related to GM products

have the greatest impact on the probability of searching for infor-

mation about GM products. With the exception of age, demo-

graphic factors are not significant. The results point to information

search, not, for the genetically modified characteristic, but

instead for the absence of the characteristic.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

Use of persuasive techniques on Internet shopping sites

Anita Subramaniam

Montclair State University

Huge strides in technological development combined with mar-

keting strategies have led to dramatic changes in the way infor-

mation is transmitted and communicated to the consumers, and

subsequently used by the consumers. Information has become

a dominant factor in determining why, where, what, and how

consumers shop, process information, and make decisions.

While marketing information has always been an important factor

in consumer decision-making, its provision on demand and

added convenience via the Internet has created a need to

research the nature and amount of information that these tech-

nologies provide.

Advertisements use different forms of persuasion to gain con-

sumer attention, meet their economic and emotional shopping

needs, to create a positive image of the product, brand, and the

shopping medium, and influence consumers to purchase the

product. Persuasion may be classified as functional congruity

and self-congruity routes to persuasion (Johar & Sirgy, 1991).

Fifty websites were studied for utilitarian and value-expressive

forms of persuasion by product differentiation. The websites were

classified as those selling tangible products only and those sell-

ing intangible products only, and those selling both tangible and

intangible products. The paper will present results of the study

along with a discussion and conclusion with implications on con-

sumer well-being.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Adolescents as consumers of restricted media content: empowering adults as mediators

Sonya Thompson

University of Alberta, Canada

Children and youth are a dominant consumer force in the media

marketplace and restricted media content is part of the near

environment of many adolescents, both at home and in their

communities. Yet, little attention has been paid to adolescents as

consumers of film, video, DVD, Internet, video games, pay per

view, satellite and digital cable television content that has been

deemed ‘adult’ or restricted content by government and industry

regulators. Using a human ecology framework, this research

assess what types of restricted media content 13 and 14 years

olds are exposed to at home and in the community, how they

come to have access to different types of restricted material, how

they regulate their own consumption of sexually and violently

explicit media content, what they think is appropriate viewing for

themselves.

The media environment of adolescents is continually changing

with the proliferation of new technologies, and restricted content

is pervasively and aggressively marketed to adolescents. Market

forces, government regulation, parental guidance, and media in

its social context determine what children are exposed to. This

research investigates the interaction between these forces and

their outcomes for adolescents in the province of Alberta, Can-

ada. Adolescents in Alberta have the highest rates of film, video,

and DVD viewing in Canada, as well as the highest saturation of

Internet in homes. Alberta’s system of film classification (age

Abstracts


restrictions on film, video, and DVD) is similar to that of most

EU countries, providing a context for international comparison.

Findings from this research are critical to policy makers, reg-

ulatory bodies, media producers, educators, and parents in

establishing practices to protect and educate young consumers.

Information about Alberta adolescents’ consumption of restricted

media content and how they gain access to it will ultimately affect

children and youth by informing the societal forces which govern

their media use.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Labels and hangtags: tool for consumer empowermentand education

Usha Chowdhary

Human Environmental Studies, Central Michigan University, 205 Wightman, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA

Advertisers use social marketing to inform and convince consum-

ers of the available products. The most casual apparel like jeans

also comes in several brands ranging from designer names with

status appeal to economical choices. Labels and hangtags serve

as the first connection between the consumers and the apparel

product. They address both intrinsic and extrinsic traits. Consum-

ers use labels for social identification, information acquisition and

care instructions. The threefold purpose of the reported study

was (1) to determine the compliance of the information on the

labels of men’s jeans with the federal requirements of permanent

care labelling; (2) to examine the content and significance of

information on the hangtags; and (3) to determine if the weight/

unit of the men’s jeans varied across various brands used for the

study.

A content analysis of the information on the labels and hang-

tags of 26 men’s jeans was conducted. The information was

tabulated and examined for compliance with federal regulations

as well as additional information provided to convince the con-

sumer of the products’ authenticity and performance for the

intended use.

The findings revealed that labels and hangtags had useful

information for persuading the consumer of the longevity of the

company and authenticity of the product. The analysed jeans

varied for price, style, and weight to meet the satisfaction of a

broad spectrum of consumers who could be price conscious,

status-driven, and/or just information-seekers. The results sup-

port the role of social marketing in reaching a variety of consum-

ers by offering choices. This work can be further extended to

determine the impact of labels and hangtags on decision-making

across various consumer markets for jeans as well as other

apparel categories.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

POSTERS

Consumer attitudes and acceptance of genetically modified organisms in Korea

Hyochung Kim1 and Meera Kim2

1 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Inje University, 607 Obang-dong, Kimhae-city, Kyungnam, Korea, 621-7492 Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Puk-gu, Daegu, Korea, 702-701

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were first used to des-

ignate micro organisms that had had genes from other species

transferred into their genetic material by the then-new techniques

of ‘gene-splicing.’ Cultivation of GMOs has so far been most

widespread in the production of soybeans and maize. The United

States holds almost three-fourths of the total crop area devoted

to GMOs. Because many crops have been imported from the US,

there is a large possibility for consumers to intake the products

of GMOs in Korea. The safety of GMOs is not scientifically settled

at this time, however. Additionally, the research regarding the

GMOs issue of consumers has rarely been conducted in Korea.

This study therefore focused on the consumer attitudes about

GMOs and willingness to purchase them. The data were col-

lected from 506 adults living in Seoul, Daegu and Busan, Korea,

by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Frequencies and

chi-square tests were conducted by SPSS. The results of the

survey were as follows. First, the consumer concerns about

GMOs were high but recognition was low; many respondents

answered they did not have exact information about GMOs,

although they had heard about them. Second, almost 93% of the

respondents desired the labelling of GMOs. Third, the level of

acceptance of GMOs was high; two-thirds of the respondents

showed that they were willing to buy GMOs. Finally, many

respondents worried about the safety of GMOs in that 73% of

the respondents primarily wanted to be informed about safety of

GMOs. This study suggests that the consumer education about

GMOs should be conducted through mass media and consumer

protection organisations.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Consumers’ awareness and information need about food hygiene in Korea: focused on pesticide residues and food borne illness

Meera Kim1 and Hyochung Kim2

1 Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Puk-gu, Daegu, Korea 702-7012 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Inje University, 607 Obang-dong, Kimhae-city, Kyungnam, Korea 621-749

This study investigated consumers’ awareness and information

need about food hygiene especially focused on pesticide resi-

dues and food borne illness in Korea. The data were collected

from 350 adults living in Daegu and Busan, Korea by a self-

administered questionnaire. Frequency and chi-square tests

were conducted by SPSS. The results of the survey were as

follows: Firstly the consumers’ concerns about food hygiene were

high. About three-fourths of the respondents answered that they

Abstracts


were ‘somewhat’ or ‘highly’ concerned about pesticide residues

and food borne illness. Especially women and the older showed

more concerns than men and the younger. Secondly, the respon-

dents worried about eating vegetables, fruits and grains in turn

because of pesticide residues, and did not trust the results from

food hygiene tests by the Government. Thirdly, three-fourths of

the respondents used the way to wash food stuffs with water

several times to clean pesticide residues. Fourth, about four-fifths

of the subjects worried about food borne illness caused by fish

to the extreme and about two-thirds answered that un-fresh or

contaminated food stuffs were the major factor of food borne

illness in cooking. Finally, the respondents primarily wanted to

get the information about harmfulness of pesticide residues in

foods, and methods to choose fresh food regarding food borne

illness. Under the situation of the lack of educational programs

for food hygiene in Korea, the educational contents for food

hygiene to improve public health can be developed on the basis

of this study.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Perceived consumer competence of college students:a qualitative exploratory study

Marie L. Lachance

Sciences de la consommation, Université Laval, Québec, Canada, G1K 7P4

Considering the large sums of money young people spend on

goods and services and the huge importance marketers grant to

them, it is easy to agree on the very important role they play in

today’s consumer society. Autonomous role enactment involves

the attainment of a certain level of performance which implies

certain socially desirable behaviours. However, studies about

consumer skills are rather sparse. Consequently, we do not know

if young people present the necessary abilities to make educated

choices, protecting their own interests and exerting their respon-

sibilities as citizens in the community and by this, contributing to

balancing the market forces. The data presented are an extract

from the qualitative part of a larger study about the consumer

skills of French Canadian college students. Thirteen students,

aged from 18 to 22 years old, were recruited in three colleges of

the Quebec City area through personal contacts with academic

members. They participated in semistructured interviews during

the months of November and December 2001. During the dis-

cussions, they expressed their perceptions of the skills necessary

for being an educated consumer, their own level of competence

in this area, the general level of competence of people of their

age and that of older adults. They identified the most significant

agents in their consumer socialisation and detailed the nature

and content of these influences. This information implements

research in consumer behaviour from a non-commercial per-

spective and has helped to plan the quantitative stage of the

study which is presently under way. The study is financed by the

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

Developing the conceptual framework of consumer sciences in higher education in the UK

Sue Bailey

Department of Health and Human Sciences, London Metropolitan University, 166–220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, UK

Recent subject benchmarking statements by the Quality Assur-

ance Agency for Higher Education (2002) have included the

subject of consumer sciences at bachelor’s level. This is signifi-

cant in that part of the aim of subject benchmark statements is

to describe the nature and characteristics of specific degree level

subject areas and to identify the ‘typical substantive core’.

Consumer science/studies have therefore been defined as:

‘interdisciplinary subjects which seek to understand the relation-

ships between the consumer and the economic, technical, social

and environmental forces which influence the development and

consumption of goods and services’ (QAA, 2002).

If we are seeking, therefore, to encourage empowered con-

sumers, we need to have an understanding of how the context

of consumption and consumerism is positioned within current

course structures. During the last five years developments and

change in both the subject area and courses has made it increas-

ingly necessary to explore the boundaries and development of

degree level courses in the subject area in the United Kingdom.

Research is therefore being undertaken to investigate the

existence of a unique body of knowledge that currently defines

the subject field, given its inter and multidisciplinary focus.

This research has also aimed to track the changes and devel-

opments in courses and to map the forms of knowledge within

the subject field between higher education institutions. This has

been undertaken by comparing original studies of degree content

areas, interviews and surveys of core academic staff and under-

taking a recent follow up of this work. The results of this research

will be available for presentation at the conference.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

An investigation into breakfast clubs and their potential to improve diets of primary school children

Gemma Lee and Ian Brown

School of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

The diets of school children have been a major cause for concern

for a considerable time. There is a whole host of evidence to

suggest that inadequate dieting beginning in childhood is a major

underlying cause of ill health in later life. The link between diet

and disease is now well established, as is the need to improve

the health of the nation. A number of issues have been raised in

recent years including the need for nutritional standards for

school meals, however, not enough has been done to eradicate

these problems in schools.

This research looks into one particular provision – breakfast

clubs for primary school children. Research suggests that a large

proportion of school children are missing out on this vital meal

and the opportunity to gain a substantial proportion of the essen-

tial daily nutrients required for adequate growth and develop-

Abstracts


ment. Breakfast clubs are intended to provide children with the

opportunity to receive a nutritious breakfast at the beginning of

the day.

The objective of the work was to investigate breakfast clubs

and establish how they could help to overcome some of the

problems associated with poor nutrition in school children. An

investigation was carried out using two samples of school chil-

dren, one already attending a breakfast Club and one not. Com-

parisons were made between the two groups to see which was

providing children with the most nutritious start to the day via a

series of food diaries. It was concluded that the breakfast clubs

provide children with higher intakes of all the nutrients surveyed

and made a significant contribution towards improving the diets

of the primary school children.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

The pot snack market – are today’s consumers demanding health as well as convenience?

Fiona McCullough1, Sian Jones2 and Daniella Vignali2

1 University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire LE12 5RA, UK2 Manchester Metropolitan University, Hollings Faculty, Manchester M14 6H, UK

Identifying the target audience for hot pot snacks and which

factors influence their buyer behaviour is vital information for

product developers and manufacturers. The reported market

research evaluated the effect of changing lifestyles on the growth

of the pot snack market and investigated consumer opinion of

pot snacks with particular regard to their nutritional status. This

information is of particular interest to health professionals

involved in improving the nation’s health.

A consumer questionnaire measured the opinion of pot snacks,

frequency of consumption and influences on the growth of the

pot snack market. The 150 consumers comprised 86 males and

64 females aged 11–74 years. The data was analysed using

chi-square (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Results

indicated that within the pot snack market, there are a variety

of reasons determining the demand for pot snacks. The fre-

quency of consumption is influenced by knowledge and opinion

about the nutritional content of the pot snack product, suggest-

ing that consumers are now demanding health as well as

convenience.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

The attitudes and nutritional knowledge of 11–12 years olds in Merseyside and Northern Ireland

C. Frobisher, M. Jepson and S.M. Maxwell

Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure, Liverpool John Moores University, I. M. Marsh Campus, Barkhill Road, Liverpool L17 6BD, UK

School is a major area for providing young people with nutritional

knowledge and skills. In Northern Ireland home economics is

taught to 11–12 years olds (CCEA,1998). The 1988 Education

Reform Act introduced the national curriculum and home eco-

nomics as a subject was effectively abolished in English schools.

Key stage 3 pupils in England are taught nutrition in Science,

Design and Technology and in the cross curricular theme of

health education (SCAA, 1996).

The aim of the study was to compare the attitudes and nutritional

knowledge of children in Merseyside, England (M) and Northern

Ireland (NI). A questionnaire was designed, which examined

attitudes to aspects of healthy eating and tested the subject’s

knowledge, practical and theoretical, on nutrition and healthy

eating. Subjects aged 11–12 years were recruited (M:541,

NI:128).

The results indicate that the healthy food message seems

to have been better learnt by children in Merseyside but

results of surveys in Merseyside into eating habits suggest

that many have not put this knowledge into practice.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

Social desirability affects nutritional and food intake estimated from a food frequency questionnaire

R. Barros, B. Oliveira and P. Moreira

Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal

In order to assess the influence of social desirability in a food

frequency questionnaire (FFQ), 483 Portuguese university stu-

dents (133 women and 350 men) were recruited to a two-part

self-administered questionnaire: the first part included the Mar-

lowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale (M-CSDS), physical activ-

ity data and self-reported height and weight; the second part, a

validated semiquantitative FFQ. All subjects completed the first

part of the questionnaire but only 40.2% returned the FFQ fairly

completed (no statistically significant differences were found

between the two groups, for any of the variables studied). Statis-

tical analysis included reliability and test–retest of M-CSDS, cor-

relation and general linear model (GLM).

The Cronbach’s alpha of M-CSDS was 0.64 and a test–retest

correlation of 0.80 was obtained in a subsample of 35 subjects

who completed the scale twice. We found a significantly positive

correlation between social desirability and vitamin E for women;

when adjusted for physical activity, body mass index and energy,

social desirability was positively correlated with vitamin E, mag-

nesium and fibre for women; and vitamin C, magnesium and

fibre, for men. In GLM, social desirability produced a significant

Abstracts


Physical properties and degradability of PHB/chitosanblend films

Meera Kim1, Soyun Jeon1 and Hyochung Kim2

1 Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Puk-gu, Daegu, Korea 702-7012 Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Inje University, 607 Obang-dong, Kimhae-city, Kyungnam, Korea 621-749

Synthetic polymers are rarely degraded in nature and cause

environmental pollution. Biodegradable films have been devel-

oped to alleviate the pollution. Many countries have great inter-

ests in biodegradable food packaging films. Poly (3-hydroxy

butyric acid) (PHB) is a natural biodegradable plastic with bio-

compatibility. However, PHB has some problems of application

to the food system because it is brittle and stiff. Because PHB

has a poor site for chemical modification, the blends of PHB with

flexible polymers can overcome these undesirable properties.

Therefore, we prepared the blend films of PHB with chitosan,

analysed the mechanical properties and barrier properties

against water vapour, oxygen and lipid and monitored biodegrad-

ability of PHB/chitosan films in this study.

The degree of crystallinity of PHB/chitosan films by X-ray dif-

fraction decreased with increasing chitosan concentration. The

granular sizes of the films were reduced with the addition of

chitosan to the film in the micro structural observation by a

scanning electron microscope. Mechanical properties, including

tensile strength and percent elongation of the blend films

increased with increasing chitosan ration in the films. It is dem-

onstrated that mechanical properties of the films were improved

by the addition of chitosan. The water vapour permeability

(WVP) of the PHB film was the highest and WVP was

decreased by the addition of chitosan. Oxygen permeability of

the films decreased as chitosan amount increased. The films

had very good barrier property against lipid. The consumed oxy-

gen of PHB film was greater than that of chitosan film for incu-

bation on the biodegradability determination of the films.

Therefore, the blend films could be expected to increase the rate

of degradation in natural environments.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts

upward bias in dietary fibre, sugars, ββββ-carotene, vitamins C, E,

magnesium, potassium and iodine, for women; and in dietary

fibre, pufa n-3, folate, vitamins C, E, magnesium, manganese and

potassium, for men.

In GLM, and for both genders, social desirability produced a

significant upward bias in vegetable consumption. Moreover,

social desirability produced for women a significant downward

bias in white bread, onion and beer, and for men in biscuits.27MiscellaneousAbstractsAbstracts


Abstracts

The research presents a case study about the way that women

make decisions about colour and dress prior to, and after a visit

to an image consultancy, Colour Me Beautiful. It specifically asks

to what extent women feel they have benefited from such a

consultation in relation to the fashion system and the experience

of shopping.

The first section argues that the interviewees, prior to a con-

sultation, had adopted a narrow and restricted mode of decision-

making in relation to clothes and colour due to a variety of social

and personal reasons. The second section explores the pro-

cesses by which the majority of interviewees began to gain

confidence and a renewed interest in selecting clothes after a

colour consultation. Such a ‘technology of the self’ enabled the

respondents to ‘play’ with the fashion system, in a way that they

had not felt able to do before. In particular the mechanisms of

expertise and meaning were central to this process of [email protected]

An evaluation of the effects of Colour Me Beautiful on women’s shopping habits

Ann Grove-White

University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Llandaff Centre, Western Avenue, Cardiff, UK

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS . Development of a food and health strategy for Cardiff

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