The food choice process: bread purchasing decisions

The aim of this study is to examine the food choice process of consumers when purchasing bread. Little prior research has examined consumer behaviour relating to this staple food product. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from consumers who were intercepted inside stores when they had selected a bread to purchase. The findings reveal that a majority of consumers purchase non-white breads over white breads, and that a third of consumers typically purchase the same bread through either loyalty or habit. Attributes most frequently considered by consumers are healthiness/nutrition, taste/flavour, texture and softness/freshness. Bread is most often consumed at breakfast time and around half of consumers are purchasing more than one type of bread for their household. This study provides important findings for bread manufacturers or marketers; bread consumption may be increased in other situations through usage expansion strategies and in-store trials could encourage brand switching behaviour.