Customer Attitude Towards Rte Food Industry

. INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY

In today’s competitive world the practical study forms an important part in each and every professional course. The MBA is a course In which the theoretical knowledge is backed by practical study. That study is in the form of different projects which are under taken in the course. Here I have done a project on CONSUMER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS READY TO EAT FOOD INDUSTRY (RTE) as a part of marketing research information system course. The current situation is made known to the students when they undertake the project. The project gives better insides into the application part of the theory. The companies in an industry and their operations can be better known by the students when they analyze the data and prepare the project. This project is on the study of CONSUMER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS READY TO EAT FOOD market of India. We have done analysis based on the primary data (which are collected through survey and personal interview) and secondary data (which are collected from different sources like internet, magazines and reports of different government agencies) This project also includes the current news on ready to eat food and also includes the details of the international conference in India on READY TO EAT FOOD INDUSTRY (RTE). The ready to eat cereal industry is characterized by high concentration, high price-cost margins large advertising to sales ratios, and numerous introductions of new products. Previous researcher has concluded. The ready to eat cereal industry is a classic example of an industry with nearly collusive pricing behavior and intense non-price competition in particular, I estimate price –cost margins, but more importantly I am able empirically to separate these margins into three sources
1. That which is due to product differentiation
2. That which is due to multi-product firm pricing
3. That due to potential price collusion The research suggests that given the demand for different brands of cereal, the first effects explain most of the observed price-cost markups. I conclude that prices in the industry are consistent with non-collusive pricing behaviour, despite the high price – costs margins. Leading firms are able to maintaince a portfolio of differentiated products and influence the perceived product quality. it is these two factors that lead to high price – cost margins.

CHARACTERISTICS The research in ready to eat has provided both advantages and disadvantages. Some of them are quoted below
Advantages

1) Time saver: - In a busy life, RTE is a boom to save time. RTE foods saves our time, for instance it becomes difficult for a hardworking youth to spend time in preparing his/her food in a busy schedule. So RTE is for such fast going or young people to take food at any time.
2) Portable: - These foods are portable, can be taken along anywhere and everywhere. The person can take the food wherever he travels all over. It is available in very compact and attractive packages.
3) Hygiene: - The foods are packed by machines, do not cause any infections and are prepared in a hygienic manner.
4) Nutrients rich: - They are rich in nutrients even the intake of small quantity of food, gives us the required nutrients for the body to keeps us healthy. They have very less fats and carbohydrates. Rich food provides energy through out the day.
5) Adoptable to the trend: - Ready to eat is modified according to the market trend that is consumer taste and preference is taken into consideration. RTE is nowadays popular and attractive among consumers due to its less work and taste. It is more useful for the people who are busy and could not spend a lot of time in cooking.

DISADVANTAGES

Ready to eat food causes many problems, they are:- Contaminated food is considered to be the principle route of transmission, and estimated to be the source in as high as 99% of the cases (WHO, 1988, meadetal 1999). L.Monocytogenes appears to be frequent transitory resident of the intestinal tract in humans. The proportion of the individuals whose faecal samples have been positive for L.Monocytogenes range from a low 0.5% to a high 29%. Because of the high rate of clinically healthy carriers, farber and peterkin (1991) suggested that the presence of L.Monocytogenes in the faeces is not necessarily an indication of infection. Healthy pregnant women maybe carriers of L.Monocytogenes and still give birth to healthy infants.

Some of the RTE food industries and its products are listed:
|AMUL |Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is India's largest food products marketing |
| |organization. Apart from being known for its dairy products, Amul has ventured into the |
| |ready-to-eat industry and includes Processed Cheese, Pure Ghee, Shrikhand, Nutramul and Mithaee |
| |Gulab Jamuns among its offerings. |
|HALDIRAM S |The traditional Indian Sweet-Maker from a small set up has transformed into a full fledged |
| |processing food industry and taking its wares beyond the domestic frontiers to the Western World. |
| |Offers packaged Bhel puri chats such as Sev Puri, Chana Masala, Samosa, Pakoras, Alu Tikki, Pao |
| |Bhaji, Gol Gappa, Dhokla among others |
|ITC |Aashirvaad and Kitchens of India’ products from the ITC stable of India include a wide assortment |
| |of ready to cook foods and dishes ranging from Bukhara (Uzbek recepie) to Murgh Methi and other |
| |exoctic cuisines and includes "regular" Biryanis, Curry Pastes and dishes. |
|KITCHENS OF INDIA |ITC's Flagship brand 'Kitchens of India ' has begun to carry this exotic taste of Indian cuisine |
| |beyond the shores of India . Connoisseurs of Indian food in the US, UK, Switzerland, Bhutan, |
| |Bangladesh, Hongkong, Tanzania, Canada and Australia now have the opportunity to taste these |
| |delicious recipes. |
|MTR |Amongst the top five processed food manufacturers in India, the company claims to "market and |
| |export a wide range of packaged foods to global markets" that include USA, UK, Australia, New |
| |Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and Oman. MTR foods currently comprises twenty-two delicious and|
| |completely authentic Indian curries, gravies and rice. |

1. NEED OF THE STUDY

Since in today’s world, RTE becoming a popular food product. They have been considered as life saving for the present fast moving culture. Since a whole of consumers now a days depend on these Ready to eat products there is a need for improving these so as to get the market. The RTE product producer, in today’s world is in completion to target the corporate working people by offering a wider range of products. So this study will help them to under stand the fast paced peoples preferences and tastes towards the RTE products. Which is turn will help them to design their products according to their customer need and preferences.

1.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Customer preferences are based on their needs, wants and desire. Understanding customer preference will help the company to improvise and design their products to satisfy their customers. Those study focuses on the consumer preference towards RTE food products among the people. Those researches help not only the companies but also the consumers of RTE so as to choose the best from the available product brands.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

• To study the customers attitude towards ready to eat food

• To study the customer preference towards ready to eat food

• To determine the factors affecting the purchase decision of ready to eat food.

. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

CHAPTER 2

Review of literature

|Safe food handling in ready-to-eat food establishments is a basic element in the reduction of foodborne illness. The aim of this|
|research was to investigate (using a questionnaire), knowledge and attitudes about food safety held by management and staff in |
|ready-to-eat food establishments. Fieldwork was conducted in 2002 in Wellington City, New Zealand. Managers rated 'staff with |
|good food safety knowledge' the most important aspect of ensuring safe food. Half of these managers were prepared to pay higher |
|wages to staff holding a current food safety certificate. Although respondents considered that closure of the establishment was |
|the most serious business consequence of a breakdown in safe food handling, less than half (49%) were prepared to pay an |
|additional insurance premium to cover this risk. All food handling workers should be encouraged to obtain and maintain a current|
|food safety certificate. Environmental health officers who inspect ready-to-eat food establishments play an important role in |
|guiding and assisting owners and staff in improving food handling standards. |
|Keywords: Food safety; foodborne illness; ready-to-eat food establishments |

A survey of the general microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food served in schools was undertaken across Wales, United Kingdom. Of the 2,351 samples taken, four were identified as containing unsatisfactory counts of Escherichia coli, four contained unsatisfactory counts of Staphylococcus aureus, and one contained an unacceptable count of Bacillus cereus when compared with guidelines for the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food published by the United Kingdom Public Health Laboratory Service in 2000. No samples contained detectable levels of Salmonella, Listeria species, or Clostridium perfringens. When compared with data on the general microbiological quality of food available in Wales, the food sampled from schools was of relatively better microbiological quality.
Document Type: Research article
Affiliations: 1: Public Health Laboratory, National Public Health Service for Wales, Llandough Hospital, Penlan Road, Penarth CF64 2XX, UK 2: National Public Health Service Microbiology Rhyl, Glan Clwyd Hospital, Rhyl LL18 5UJ, UK 3: Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Civic Centre, Ebbw Vale NP23 6XB, UK

. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Methodology is a way of solving the research problems systematically by applying the various research techniques along with the logics behind the problem. The appropriate methodology will improve the validity of the finding.

3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN: The research is descriptive in nature. Descriptive research includes survey and fact findings by enquire of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state affairs, as it exists at present.

POPULATION OF THE STUDY: People who are using ready to eat food product are taken as the population of the study.

SAMPLING DESIGN: The sampling design mainly consists of the samples taken for the study along with the sample size, and sampling technique

SAMPLE SIZE: Sample size of 125 people were selected for the purpose of the study

3.2 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE: Convience sampling is used based on the willingness and availability of the respondents.

3.3 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION: For collecting primary data the questionnaire method is used.

• PRIMARY DATA Primary data is collected directly from the people who are selected as the sample size.

• SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data is collected from online data collection and magazines.

METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS: Simple percentage method and chi-square method is used

3.4 LIMITATIONS

• The research is geographically restricted to Coimbatore city only; hence the result may not be applicable to other areas.

• The study is limited to a sample size of 125 respondents therefore cannot be considered as a representative of the entire population.

• The result was based on the information that was given by the respondents.

. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Table 1

Age group of the respondents

|S.No. |Age group |No. of respondents |% of respondents |
|1 |Below 25 |50 |40.0% |
|2 |25 – 40 |53 |42.4% |
|3 |>=40 |22 |17.6% |
| |Total |125 |100% |

From the above table it is found that 40% of the respondents belonged to the age group Below 25, 42.4% of the respondents belonged to the age group 25 – 40 and 17.6% of the respondents belonged to the age group >=40
Hence majority (42.4%) of the respondents belonged to the age group 25 - 40.

Chart 1

Age group of the respondents

[pic] Table 2

Gender of the respondents

|Sl.No. |Gender |No. of respondents |% of respondents |
|1 |Male |66 |52.8% |
|2 |Female |59 |47.2% |
| |Total |125 |100% |

From the above table it is found that 52.8% of the respondents are males and 47.2% of the respondents are females.
Hence majority (52.8%) of the respondents are Males.
Chart 2:
Gender of the respondents

[pic]

Table 3:
Educational qualification of the respondents

|S.No. |Education |No. of respondents |% of respondents |
|1 |