Consumer Evaluation of Plant Factory Produced Vegetables-An Attitude Survey of Housewives in Japan's Tokatsu Region

Shinichi Kurihara ； Takashi Ishida ； Mariko Suzuki ； Atsushi Maruyama

《Focusing on Modern Food Industry》 3卷 (2014/11) Pp. 1-9

https://doi.org/10.14355/fmfi.2014.0301.01

並列摘要

Plant factories are currently gaining increasing recognition in Japan. A federal subsidy has been established, and a number of universities and research institutions have designated project centers. While these operations have been successful in their development of consistent and efficient production technology, obstacles to their commercialization remain; one of which is the insufficiency of marketing information on plant-factory-produced vegetables. To address this insufficiency, this study aimed to deduce what plant-factory-produced vegetable would be acceptable in the market through an attitude survey of consumers in metropolitan Chiba. A quantitative analysis of data from 168 respondents regarding their attitude towards plant factories and factory-produced vegetables indicated high levels of interest in food safety, with particular concern for radioactive contamination. Further, respondents prioritized freshness over price for produce and were not as interested in ＂consistent quality and price,＂ the most advertised benefits of factory-produced vegetables. While factoryproduced vegetables were well-recognized, it was unknown to 20%. A common perception was that factory-produced vegetables are ＂sanitary but expensive,＂ but such perceptions were easily influenced through information provision. A 20-40% premium for factory-produced over outdoor-produced vegetables was generally considered acceptable. Yet, many respondents nonetheless desired cultivation with sunlight. Such results suggested that further reduction of production costs and consumer-directed marketing efforts focused on food safety to be necessary for the successful commercialization of plant factories.

並列關鍵字

Plant Factory ； Commercialization ； Consumers' Attitude