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Country of origin effect on the purchase of sugar in supermarkets in Southern Chile

Abstract:

Considering the increase in food imports in Chile, the relative importance of country of origin, packaging and price on the choice of sugar was evaluated and compared among consumers in Temuco and Los Angeles (Chile), and also consumer typologies were identified. Direct surveys were conducted on 800 consumers, 400 in each city. Using a conjoint analysis, it was determined that origin (56.4%) was more important than packaging (24.3%) and price (19.3%), with differences between cities. Two consumer typologies were identified using hierarchical clustering. The largest (73.8%) said origin was of great importance, exhibited a strong preference for the Chilean product and a strong rejection of the Colombian product. The second group (26.2%) said packaging was of greatest importance, although Chilean sugar was also preferred. The groups presented different profiles according to the city, frequency of imported food purchase and reasons for not buying imported food, demonstrating ethnocentric tendencies. The effect of «country of origin» is important in the choice of a basic product like sugar, with the Chilean product being preferred by the majority.