Comportamiento del consumidor de castañas: el caso portugués

Abstract

Chestnut is deeply rooted in the Portuguese economy, gastronomy and cultural heritage. For this reason, this paper aims to understand the behavior of Portuguese chestnut consumers, their preferences, uses, buying habits and perceptions about the benefits of consuming chestnuts. A cross-sectional study was carried out based on a sample of 320 individuals. The participants buy, on average, 6.5 kg/year. Most consumers buy fresh chestnuts and do so occasionally, mainly in supermarkets and hypermarkets, fairs or directly from the producer. They prefer to buy the chestnut without packaging and the most valued attributes are quality perceived by the consumer, size and price. The district of residence and the monthly household income revealed to be differentiating factors of the frequency of chestnut consumption. In fact, chestnuts are consumed more frequently in Oporto and other Portuguese non-producer districts of chestnut and in households with an income from 580 € to 1740 € and more than 3480 €. The size, the shell conservation state, the origin and the quality perceived by consumers revealed to be determinant factors of the purchase of fresh chestnuts. These findings point out the need to better communicate the nutritional qualities and possible beneficial health effects of chestnut consumption and to invest in R&D of new chestnut-based food, therapeutic and cosmetic products.