Analysis of Perceptions and Expectations of Food Quality Among Food Manufacturers and Consumers: A Case Study in Accra

Abstract

The consumer’s perception of quality has been identified as the benchmark for quality around which all processing and marketing activities must revolve in order to achieve maximum profitability in industry, hi spite of this awareness, the consumer’s perception o f quality is yet to be fully understood to enable manufacturers translate consumer needs and expectations into business success. A number o f factors account for this failure including the complexity, subjectivity and multidimensional nature o f quality. The objective of this study was to conduct a quality perception study among Ghanaian consumers and manufacturers to investigate their understanding and evaluation o f quality. A consumer perception study was carried out among Ghanaians involving a random sample o f 422 consumers and 110 food manufacturers to assess their understanding o f quality and identify quality dimensions as well as other situational and demographic factors that influence consumer purchase decision-making and behaviour. Methods employed by manufacturers to translate consumer expectations into tangible quality products were also investigated. The study involved administering o f questionnaires, sensory analysis and a purchase intercept survey. Findings o f the study revealed that most Ghanaian consumers had an understanding o f quality. Consumers adopted the consumer-oriented approach to quality and defined quality as the weighted characteristics of a product, which in their totality add up to the customer’s satisfaction. Quality expectations were many and varied among consumers as these were tied to the individual needs o f consumers. Expectations were expressed in terms o f sensory attributes, labelling, safety, wholesomeness, price, packaging, performance, reliability, nutritional quality, fitness for use and advertising among others. Results o f this study further indicated that consumers’ expectations of quality served as their criteria for evaluating product quality and therefore had great influence on how consumers perceived quality. A number o f product attributes were identified to have profound influence on consumer quality perception and purchase behaviour. Product labelling was identified as one o f such attributes and played a significant role in initial purchase situations. Of relevance were the expiry date, list of ingredients, safety and nutritional information on product labels. Various aspects o f packaging including size, type o f seal or closure, type and strength o f packaging material, and package disposability were also identified to influence how consumers’ perceived quality. Consumers also showed awareness o f environmental issues related to packaging. Respondents’ concerns for product safety and wholesomeness expressed in this study suggested that Ghanaian consumers resident in Accra were health conscious. Not only were they interested in purchasing nutritious food products, but they were equally weary about the health implications associated with the use of preservatives, presence o f high levels o f some food components notably sugar, salt, fat, and cholesterol in food products known to be associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Consumers also demanded that food should be well processed, wholesome and sold under hygienic conditions. Consumers evaluated food products using quality dimensions derived from their expectations o f quality. All these dimensions were important and integrated into the perceived quality during the purchase decision-making process. Nevertheless, consumers weighed the dimensions differently depending on the dimension being considered, the product being purchased, the consumer purchasing the product, familiarity with the product and other external situational influences. Consumers’ perception o f food was also found to be dependent on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics o f consumers. Quality studied from the perspective of manufacturers revealed that the food industry employed methods such as market surveillance, perception studies, consumer complaints and suggestion boxes to identify the quality expectations of their customers. These quality expectations were translated into products using product specifications and different quality systems ranging from simple quality control to the implementation o f ISO quality systems. Some industries supported these efforts with quality management training o f their personnel. Contrary to manufacturers’ claims that quality must be defined in terms o f consumer satisfaction and that their customers were satisfied with their products, a high level o f consumer dissatisfaction was recorded among consumers sampled in this study. These findings point to the fact that most manufacturing practices are inadequate and inefficient and further indicate that a big gap exists between the deliveiy o f quality by industry and customer satisfaction. Industry would therefore need to show greater commitment to quality in order to make customer satisfaction and business success a reality. A step in this direction would involve adopting a systematic approach to tackling quality issues. Industry’s effort should be geared towards the identification of target markets, obtaining a clear understanding o f the quality expectations o f these market segments and identifying quality dimensions used by consumers and their relative importance in the quality evaluation and subsequent purchase decision making processes. Above all, quality ought to be seen as the collective responsibility o f society, and industry must strive to foster a closer and more cordial relationship with the consuming public to reap the indispensable benefits of this consumer-manufacturer partnership.