Abstract
Salted napa cabbage is the most important ingredient of kimchi. Currently, people have started to prepare ready-to-use salted napa cabbage at home. This study focused on this trend by investigating consumers' beliefs, opinions, and actual use of the products by conducting a telephone survey (895 female consumers) and face-to-face interviews (n = 514) in 2016 and a telephone survey (n = 200) in 2021. Most respondents (93 and 91% in 2016 and 2021, respectively) answered that convenience was the main reason for using salted napa cabbage. Regarding consumption behavior, 22 and 16% of the respondents in each year used salted napa cabbage after storing it for more than 24 h. In particular, 85 and 91% of consumers stored the product at room temperature, and 60 and 58% used it without washing, which could affect the quality of the food, as microorganisms could multiply during the storage. Inappropriate handling increased by age group, especially in 2021 (P < 0.05). In the query on satisfaction after using the products, 85 and 80% of respondents were satisfied because the product was convenient (54%) and hygienic (17%). Conversely, the respondents who were not satisfied with the products did not like the degree of salting and unhygienic status of the products. The majority (93 and 80%) of consumers preferred buying salted napa cabbage again because of its convenience. Although consumers thought that hygiene and quality were important factors, many respondents (83 and 72%) were not aware of foodborne illnesses associated with kimchi. Nevertheless, consumers intended to pay more for safe, salted napa cabbage (72 and 76%). The results of this study provide useful and credible data for understanding the factors affecting consumers' consumption and general beliefs and opinions on the use of salted napa cabbage, especially for food safety management. HIGHLIGHTS: Convenience was the main reason for using salted napa cabbage at home.Consumers thought the degree of salting was most important, followed by safety.Most consumers stored products at room temperature and used them without washing.Inappropriate food handling by consumers increased by age group in 2021.Many respondents were not aware of foodborne illnesses caused by kimchi.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1883-1889 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Food Protection |
Volume | 85 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by a Korea University research grant. The authors also thank the School of Life Science and Biotechnology of Korea University for Brain Korea 21 Plus and the Institute of Biomedical Science and Food Safety, Korea University Food Safety Hall, for access to equipment and facilities.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Korea University research grant. The authors also thank the School of Life Science and Biotechnology of Korea University for Brain Korea 21 Plus and the Institute of Biomedical Science and Food Safety, Korea University Food Safety Hall, for access to equipment and facilities.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 International Association for Food Protection
Keywords
- Consumer awareness
- Consumer survey
- Consuming practices
- Salted napa cabbage