Consumer Knowledge, Perception and Preference of Edible Oil: Evidence from Ghana

Abstract

Edible oil is one of the most important components of food and a major source of energy for human survival. It also contains saturated fats which when consumed in excess can result in developing coronary diseases. Most Ghanaian households use edible oils in preparation of their day-to-day meals. However there is a paucity of literature on the knowledge, preference and perceptions of consumers on these edible oils. Thus, the objective of the study was to ascertain consumer's knowledge, perceptions and preference of edible oil. A cross sectional approach was used for study. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 206 respondents. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and results presented using descriptive statistics (tables, charts, frequencies and percentages). The empirical evidence suggests that greater majority of consumers (95.6%) generally use refined edible oils in their daily meals. However, these consumers lack the requisite knowledge on saturated fats and unsaturated fats content of edible oils. As a result, these consumers purchased the refined edible oils because they perceived them to be healthy to consume, quality and nutritious. Moreover, unrefined edible oils were perceived to be substandard in packaging and poor in quality. Regarding the consumers preference in size, it was identified that majority of consumers (58%) prefer edible oils in medium size (1.5-5L) containers. Besides, consumers of unrefined edible oils (80.1%) purchased mostly in open markets, whiles refined edible oils (49.5%) were purchased mostly in supermarkets. Edible oils were mostly used by consumers in frying various foods and preparation of different kind of stews. The findings are very revealing to marketers as they exhibit significant characteristics of consumer behaviour as far the purchase of edible oils are concerned.