Perception of Consumers on the Health and Safety of Ready to Eat Foods

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisors, friends and family, without their support this research study would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I adjudge that the entire content of this dissertation is entirely my own work; the content used in this dissertation has not been submitted before in any educational institution and represents my own opinion.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

In this research study, the perception of consumers about the ready to eat products in UK are being discussed and analyzed. The role of food safety and labels are also being discussed in this research study from the perception of consumers. The secondary quantitative research methods are being used in this study, and the questionnaire used as an instrument for finding out the accurate results. The responses attain from the questionnaire has provided the result that the perception about ready to eat products is not negative and the reason behind consuming ready to eat products is that in UK the life style is changing and people do not get time to cook food by their own.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Ready to Cook Food and Food safety1

Background of the Study1

Problem Statement2

Purpose of the Study3

Rationale of the Study3

Aims and Objectives3

Research Questions4

Scope and Significance of the Study4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW5

Food safety Risk Perception among European consumers5

The Challenges of Food Security in RTE5

Microbiological contamination6

Facts and Issues about Ready to Eat Foods6

Treatments for Reducing L. Monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat foods8

Consumer Perception about Ready to eat Ready to eat Food9

Risk Perception and Risk Reduction10

Risk Perception and Purchase likelihood12

Quality Assurance and Risk Perception13

Food Safety Risks and Labelling13

Ready to Eat Food and Health Problems15

HAV17

Norovirus17

Consumer Behaviour Trends for Ready to Eat Food18

Factors Affecting Consumer Behaviour19

Food Safety Regulations in Britain: The case of ready-to-eat-food20

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY23

Research Design23

Primary Research Methods23

Secondary Research Methods24

Research Method and Design Appropriateness25

Quantitative Research Method25

Sampling27

Sample of Participants27

Instrument28

Data Analysis28

Literature Search29

Reliability of Sources29

Research Validity30

Research Ethics31

Informed Consent32

Confidentiality32

Keywords Used34

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION35

Descriptive Statistics35

Discussion47

Food Labels help Consumers make Healthier Choices47

RTE Risk Perception47

Food safety reduces food borne illness48

Purchase and Transport49

Storage50

Factors Affecting the Consumers' Perception about RTE food50

Ready to eat food and Health Issues53

Listeria Monocytogenes54

Food Borne Viruses56

Hepatitis A Virus57

Artificial Preservatives57

Artificial Colours and Flavours58

Irradiation58

Consumer Perception about Ready to eat Meals58

Discussion on the Questionnaire Responses61

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION66

REFERENCES69

APPENDIX75

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Ready to Cook Food and Food safety

The growth of ready meals in the UK and other European countries, led to the development of a network of suppliers of chilled ready-made products - includes a network of manufacturers, warehouses and retail and transport systems for these networks. High-fibre cereal in individual portions, fortified beverages, energy bars and salad dressings are just some examples of ready-to-eat products, which are healthy and already exist in the market and allow the needs of consumers (Roberts 2001 170).

According to British researchers, ready meals market is waiting for active development. In the 1980s, the amount of time a resident of the United Kingdom took for cooking was 60 minutes. Currently, this figure stands at 20 minutes, and it continues to decline. Representatives of the half of households of Great Britain ...