Sylvia Smith

Culinary tourism: Satisfaction with a culinary event utilizing importance-performance grid analysis:

The aim of this research was to provide a practical method for assessing satisfaction at a culinary event. Twenty-seven culinary event attributes items were analyzed from an international culinary event. MANOVA was employed to identify differences between importance and performance measures. Importance-performance analysis (IPA) was subsequently used to assist culinary event organizers while identifying critical performance attributes in order to improve customer satisfaction. Findings revealed food and beverage prices, come/ go, convenient parking, and food tasting had high importance scores, yet low performance measures. The use of multiple regression analysis confirmed three out of the four attribute items had a predictive effect on overall satisfaction.

Segmenting Visitors to a Culinary Event: Motivations, Travel Behavior, and Expenditures

In this study culinary event attendees were segmented on the basis of push motivations. Using a factor-cluster approach with data collected from an international culinary event, the study segmented culinary attendees into two meaningful groups. The results of the analyses can be summarized as: 1) food event, event novelty, and socialization were the push motivations identified for attending a culinary event, 2) motivations were clustered into two segments: food focusers and event seekers, 3) the two clusters were statistically different from each other based on gender, age, income, education, and expenditures. This research makes a contribution to the area of consumer behavior research in culinary tourism from both the theoretical and empirical perspectives. It is believed that results of the present study will be useful to organizers of culinary events and/or destination managers.

Farm to School and Nutrition Education: Positively Affecting Elementary School-Aged Children's Nutrition Knowledge and Consumption Behavior

BACKGROUND Good nutrition is crucial. School-aged children battle social and health issues such as poor nutrition, childhood obesity, and minimal nutrition knowledge. This study was a quasi-experimental design analyzing the effects of the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) nutrition curriculum with a Farm to School program to assess nutrition knowledge of 3(rd) grade students, and to increase fruit and vegetable consumption behavior. METHODS Third grade boys and girls (n=65) participated in this study. The intervention consisted of two nutrition education classes and a farm tour. Data were collected at baseline and postintervention. Surveys assessed nutrition knowledge, fruit and vegetable consumption behavior, and awareness of farms and farmers. Chi-squared tests of independence were performed to examine the relation between the baseline and postintervention responses. RESULTS Significant differences were found concerning knowledge of fiber (p<0.001). Knowledge of vitamins and minerals, reported vegetable consumption behavior at school, and farm exposure were also significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that CATCH nutrition education and farm tours can positively affect school-aged childrens nutrition knowledge and fruit and vegetable consumption behavior.

Testing Nutritional Value and Consumer Acceptability of Hybrid Striped Bass Raised on Sustainable Feeds

The United Nations estimates that the world will need additional seafood to sustain the growing population. Rising costs and concerns regarding food safety and environmental sustainability have encouraged reducing the use of marine-derived feedstuffs in aquaculture. The primary purpose of this project was to test for consumer acceptance of hybrid striped bass raised on a soy-maximized diet. The results showed that culinary professionals could not distinguish a difference between fish raised on traditional feeds versus soy-maximized feeds. Culinary professionals expressed an overall preference for fish fed the soy-maximized feeds. Results from this study suggest future marketing for fish raised on sustainable feeds.

Fish Consumers: Environmental Attitudes and Purchasing Behavior

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to expand on the limited awareness of the U.S. fish consumer. Measures were tested through a Web-based national survey. The final survey consisted of 40 questions, including environmental awareness, food neophobia, fish consumption, reasons for consuming fish, and demographic variables. Correlations and t tests were used to analyze relationships between eating fish in restaurants and other variables. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to segment respondents into two groups based on their environmental awareness and neophylic/neophobic attitudes. EcoFish consumers were more likely to be male, eat fish for health and the environment, and eat fish at restaurants significantly more than the Indifferent Fish consumers. Restaurants can use these results to market to eco-friendly, health-conscious fish consumers.

Quality Meat Attributes Desirable to the Culinary Consumer

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine factors affecting the culinary consumers decision to purchase meat products when preparing and cooking food at home. A 5-point Likert scale by Loureiro and Umberger (2005) was used to collect information concerning aesthetic factors, nutrition and fat content, food safety, country-of-origin labeling, traceability, and demographic information from competitors and visitors at the 20th Annual Murphysboro Barbeque Cook-Off in Murphysboro, IL. Overall, freshness, food safety, U.S. produced, tenderness, and reasonably priced were rated as the most desirable attributes when purchasing meat. This information can be useful to stakeholders who want to market meat products to U.S. consumers, especially to those who are interested in carnivorous consumption, such as those individuals who attend barbecue competitions.

Understanding Local Food Consumers: Theory of Planned Behavior and Segmentation Approach

ABSTRACT Purpose: The objectives of this study were to examine the antecedents and consequence of consumer attitudes toward local food and to segment these consumers using their food-related lifestyle (FRL) attributes. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, we proposed three factors to impact attitude toward local food (health consciousness, concern for the environment, and concern for local economies) along with subjective norm and perceived behavioral control to influence intentions to purchase local food. Methodology: Data were collected from 502 local food consumers measuring the following: antecedents and consequence of attitude toward local food; FRL; demographic information. Findings: Health consciousness, concern for the environment, and concern for local economies were found to be significant predictors of attitude toward local food. Attitude toward local food and subjective norm, but not perceived behavioral control, were found to have a significant effect on intention to purchase local food. Further, segmenting based on their FRL yielded four types of consumers (Impromptu Novelty Explorer, Uninvolved Connoisseur, Involved Information Seeker, and Apathetic Local Food Consumer). An ANOVA provided a snapshot of several demographic and psychographic differences between segments.

The Diffusion of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Technology at Illinois Farmers’ Markets: Measuring the Perceived Attributes of the Innovation

ABSTRACT This study examined Illinois farmers’ market managers’ perception of the electronic benefit transfer system (EBT) using the theory of diffusion of innovation. The previous conversion of food stamps to EBT made it difficult for low-income populations to access fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets. Currently, 24% of farmers markets in the United States offer EBT services. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of EBT technology to better understand how these attributes were affecting the rate of its diffusion at Illinois farmers’ markets. Factor analysis revealed 5 factors explaining 74.74% of the variance. Complexity, relative advantage, and trialability were found to be significant predictors of EBT adoption. Farmers’ market managers may be more willing to adopt EBT when it is less complex, when they perceive it as better than the previous food stamps, and when they have a chance to try it before adopting.

Examining Internet Access and Social Media Application Use for Online Nutrition Education in SNAP-Ed Participants in Rural Illinois

Objective: To examine Internet access and interest in receiving nutrition education via social media applications among low‐income adults participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP‐Ed). Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was distributed during 25 SNAP‐Ed classes throughout the 16 southernmost counties of Illinois. Results: From 188 responses, the majority of participants had Internet access (76%). Among participants aged 18–32 years (n = 51), 92% owned a smartphone with Internet access and 57% indicated that they would use online nutrition education, with most interest in e‐mail (41%), Facebook (40%), and text messaging (35%). There was little interest in using blogs, Vine, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Overall, 49% of middle‐aged adults aged 33–64 years and 87% of seniors aged ≥65 years reported they would not use online nutrition education. Conclusions and Implications: Results indicated similar Internet accessibility in southern Illinois among low‐income populations compared with national rural rates. Interest in using online nutrition education varied among SNAP‐Ed participants according to age. Young adults appeared to be the most captive audience regarding online nutrition education. Results may be useful to agencies implementing SNAP‐Ed to supplement current curriculum with online nutrition education for audiences aged ≤32 years.