The Impact of (COVID)-19 on Beverage Purchasing Behaviors in Korea.

Objective: In this study, we examined changes in purchase behavior of alcoholic beverages (ie, soju, beer, wine, traditional Korean liquor, and liquor) and non-alcoholic beverages (ie, fruit and vegetable juices, coffee, tea, bottled water, milk, yogurt, and plant-based milk) before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Monthly beverage expenditure data, based on Korean household demographic information, was used for 3 years and 6 months. The 2-part model was used for analysis. To examine the effect of COVID-19, beverage expenditure was analyzed after dividing it into short-term and long-term effects. Results: Our results show that the probability of purchasing alcoholic beverages increased owing to the long-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. The amounts of beer, wine, and traditional Korean liquor purchased increased in the long-term. The purchase of sweet drinks decreased (ie, fruit and vegetable juices and yogurt) in the long-term because of the effect of the pandemic. On the other hand, tea, water, and plant-based milk expenditures increased. Conclusion: This beverage consumption pattern reflects both unhealthy (ie, an increase in alcoholic beverage purchases) and healthy drinking behaviors (ie, a decrease in sweet beverage purchases and an increase in tea, water, and plant-based milk purchases).

The association between meal regularity and weight loss among women in commercial weight loss programs.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: While many obesity studies have pointed out the importance of meal regularity, few have conducted empirical analyses using data from food diaries. We examined the association between meal regularity (i.e., meal time regularity [MTR] and calorie intake regularity [CIR]) and weight loss. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We collected food diary data from 637 women who had participated in commercial weight loss programs for 28-168 days (4-24 weeks). This study defined "meal regularity" in terms of two concepts: MTR and CIR. MTR refers to how regularly people eat their meals (i.e., at certain times each day), whereas CIR refers to how regularly people consume a certain amount of calories at each meal. We conducted multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: MTR (model 1: ß = -2,576.526, P < 0.001; model 2: ß = -1511.447, P < 0.05; model 3: ß = -1,721.428, P < 0.05) and CIR (model 1: ß = -1,231.551, P < 0.01; model 2: ß = -2,082.353, P < 0.001; model 3: ß = -1,343.490, P < 0.01) turned out to be significant determinants of the amount of weight loss in breakfast, lunch, and dinner contexts. While meal regularity (i.e., MTR and CIR) was significantly associated with weight loss, daily calorie intake from meals was not significantly associated with the amount of weight loss (model 1: ß = 0.13, P > 0.05; model 2: ß = 0.11, P > 0.05; model 3: ß = 0.14, P > 0.05). Subjects who consumed an equal amount of calories per meal throughout the day lost more weight than those who did not (model 4: ß = -3,675.51, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Eating each meal (i.e., breakfast, lunch, and dinner) at a certain time every day may increase weight loss success. Also, consuming the same amount of calories at each meal may help weight loss success.

The Effect of Korean Native Chicken Breed Information on Consumer Sensory Evaluation and Purchase Behavior.

This study examined how chicken breed affects consumer behavior. The breeds evaluated were a Korean native chicken (KNC) and a commercial broiler (CB). Consumer behavior was measured by evaluating sensory attributes (taste, odor, and texture) and purchase behaviors [satisfaction, purchase intention, and willingness to pay (WTP)]. The sensory evaluation was conducted using healthy Korean consumers (n=100). The chicken was cooked in baeksuk (Korean traditional chicken soup), which is a seasonal summer health food in Korea. The participants evaluated sensory attributes and purchase behaviors between blinded samples of baeksuk (CB) and unblinded samples of baeksuk (KNC). The sensory evaluation involved chicken breasts and legs. The participants considered KNC as having a more umami taste, a chewier and juicer texture, and a less metallic odor than CB. Moreover, when participants were given KNC breed information, they expressed higher satisfaction, purchase intention, and WTP. The results of this study contribute to consumer behavior literature by revealing the effects of breed information on consumer sensory perceptions and purchase behaviors. Furthermore, the findings provide evidence that branding KNC is one way to increase its demand and low market share while contributing to sustainable consumption.

The Effect of Sustainability-Related Information on the Sensory Evaluation and Purchase Behavior towards Salami Products.

Consumer's interest in sustainable livestock farming methods has grown in response to concerns for the environment and animal welfare. The purpose of this study is to examine the different influences of sustainability product information on sensory characteristics and purchase behaviors. To accomplish this aim, the study used salami, which is an Italian-style sausage processed by fermentation and drying. Three different types of information were provided: salami made from the pork of an antibiotic-free pig (SMAFP), of an animal welfare pig (SMAWP), and of a grazing pig (SMGP). This study was conducted as an off-line experiment with Korean participants (n=140). As a result, there were sensory differences according to the sustainability information. For the SMAFP, it had a significant difference in, sourness (p<0.05). With the SMAWP, there was a difference in gumminess (p<0.10), and the SMGP had significant differences in sourness (p<0.01), sweetness (p<0.01), andmoisture (p<0.05). Moreover, the purchase intention and willingness to pay were significantly higher when the sustainability information was given. Especially, among the three types of salamis, participants were willing to pay the most for the SMAWP. This is one of the first consumer studies to investigate sensory evaluation and purchase behavior for various types of sustainable livestock production. These results contribute by helping sustainable meat producers and marketers become aware of the kind of sustainable information to which consumers are sensitive.

Factors Influencing Purchase Intention for Low-Sodium and Low-Sugar Products.

As sodium and sugar intake in South Korea exceed recommended levels, the government and food industry have been attempting to reduce the amount of sodium and sugar in the food products. In line with these efforts, this study sought to examine how the purchase intention for low-sodium/low-sugar products vary based on consumers' previous choices of low-sodium/low-sugar products and other consumer-related factors. For this study, two online survey-based experiments were conducted: one using soy sauce to represent a sodium-based product and the other using yogurt to represent a sugar-based product. The significant variables that influenced the purchase intention for both were the consumers' previous low-sodium/low-sugar product choices and their propensity for food neophobia. Consumers who had previously selected regular products showed a lower intention to purchase low-sodium soy sauce or low-sugar yogurt. In addition, those who had a strong tendency toward food neophobia also had a significantly lower purchase intention for these products. Moreover, the lower the consumer's unhealthy = tasty intuition (UTI), the higher the purchase intention for the low-sodium soy sauce, but UTI did not act as a significant variable for the low-sugar yogurt. These results demonstrate that government interventions for low-sodium products and low-sugar products should be differentiated.

Complementarity in dietary supplements and foods: are supplement users vegetable eaters?

Background: The consumption of fruits, vegetables, and dietary supplements correlate. Most previous studies have aimed to identify the determinants of supplement uses or the distinct features of supplement users; this literature lacks a discussion on dietary supplement consumption as a predictor of fruit and vegetable consumption. Objective: This study examines how dietary supplement consumption correlates with fruit and vegetable consumption by combining scanner data and surveys of Korean household grocery shopping. Methods: Propensity score matching (PSM) is used to identify the relationship between dietary supplement consumption and fruit and vegetable consumption in a household. A logit regression using supplement consumption as the dependent variable is used. Then, the supplement takers (the treatment group) are matched with non-takers (the control group) based on the propensity scores estimated in the logit regression. The fruit and vegetable consumption levels of the groups are then compared. Results: We found that dietary supplement use is associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. This supports the health consciousness hypothesis based on attention bias, availability heuristics, the focusing effect, and the consumption episode effect. It rejects the health substitute hypothesis based on economic substitutes and mental accounting. Conclusions: Future research on the health benefits of dietary supplements should address the complementary consumption of fruits/vegetables and their health benefits to avoid misstating the health effects of supplements.