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The purpose of this paper is to explore snacking behavior and perspectives on healthy and unhealthy food choices among adolescents in Mainland China.

Four focus-group interviews were conducted. Altogether 24 participants were recruited in Changsha, a second-tier city in China, through a convenience sampling process. They were asked to report their snacking behaviors, identify whether certain snacks are healthy or unhealthy and elaborate on factors affecting food choices.

Snacking was prevalent among the participants. The most frequently consumed snacks included fruit, milk and instant noodles. Participants’ evaluations for the healthiness of foods were based on the actual nutritional values of those foods, the effects on growth and body weight and word-of-mouth. Choice of snack was driven mainly by taste, image, convenience and health consciousness.

The finding was based on a non-probability sample. The paper also did not explore the contexts where snacks were consumed.

Parents can make healthy snacks more accessible at home and at schools. Educators can teach adolescents how to read food labels. Schools can increase the availability of healthy snacks on campus. Social marketers can promote healthy snacks by associating them with fun and high taste.

This is the first paper on snacking behaviors among adolescents conducted in a second-tier city in China using focus-group methodology.

In this study, a comprehensive theoretical framework was developed to investigate the influence of the determinants of online dried fruit purchase intention in China.

The dried fruit eating experiences of 1,160 participants from China were collected using an online survey.

Significant differences were noted in the sociodemographic distributions among three age-based consumer segments. Furthermore, the cost of the marketing strategy had the strongest effect on online dried fruit purchase intention. Finally, different patterns of online dried fruit purchase intention were observed among the three consumer segments: consumers aged below 24 years regarded dried fruits as a new and healthy snack choice and favoured companies with high-quality communication with consumers; consumers aged 25–29 years viewed dried fruits as a healthy eating habit, reflecting their strong self-control over their lifestyle; and consumers aged over 30 years valued the convenience marketing strategies applied by dried fruit manufacturers.

Overall, the results indicate that dried fruits are considered a niche market of snacks that provides added value for core products in the Chinese e-commerce (EC) market; therefore, developing cost-effective strategies to raise consumer awareness of dried fruits is crucial. Furthermore, marketing strategies should target different consumer segments.

The purpose of this paper is to study for the product development of Sai Krok Isan or Thai fermented sausage with Tomyum ingredients (TFS-TY) such as kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal root and chili.

To study the proper formula of TFS-TY in order to obtain certain characteristics of both fermented sausage and Tomyum attributes by varying the ratio of cooked glutinous rice to cooked rice of total rice content and Tomyum ingredients content. The nine-point hedonic preference method was conducted to evaluate TFS-TY with 30 untrained panelists. Consumer survey from 200 respondents were asked about their behaviors on fermented sausage and opinions to the new products.

The preference score of the 3:1 (cooked glutinous rice: cooked rice) gained the highest score in all sensory attributes as same as 16 percent of Tomyum ingredients. According to the consumer survey, the TFS-TY was accepted by 90 percent of the total 200 respondents and gained an overall score equal to 7.30±1.11.

The varied preference of Thai respondents has affected on the acceptance of the new products. For example, some preferred very strong tastes either in sourness or spiciness, and some may be disliked.

The balancing characteristics of both products were very important. The new product should be identified by certain attributes in Thai fermented sausage and Tomyum. Over or less in any products gained lower preference attributes scores.

The research reported here was a first attempt to determine where Chinese children as consumers learn information about new products and their attitudes toward different sources of information. Chinese children’s usage of the mass media was also examined, as was the relationship between mass media usage and information sources. The findings show that Chinese children utilize a wide variety of information sources to learn about new products including parents, retail outlets, and the mass media, and surprisingly they consider the newest medium, television, to be the most important of all. The effects of gender, age and family occupation were also considered. Some important marketing implications are suggested.

The purpose of this paper is to report an empirical study on children's buying behaviour in China, with a special focus on their information sources.

The key literature on consumer socialisation of children is reviewed. Primary data were collected from a sample of 155 children aged ten‐13 using questionnaire survey. Various statistical methods such as Pearson correlation and tests were employed to analyse the data.

Chinese children regard television commercials as an important information source for new products. However, they place greater level of trust in interpersonal information sources, especially in their parents who are perceived as the most credible information source with respect to their learning about new food products.

The paper has made a contribution to the extant literature on Chinese children as consumer. The findings would be valuable in assisting companies, specially those in the food industry, to have a better understanding of Chinese children's buying behaviour.

Pune is a prominent information technology (IT) hub in India, where snacking has become a customary practice among IT professionals. This study aims to determine the pattern and factors associated with snacking among IT professionals from various multinational corporations (MNCs) in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

This cross-sectional study considered 404 IT professionals aged 21 to 50 years. A convenient sampling method was adopted to administer a validated questionnaire. Information on snacking patterns and factors associated with snacking were recorded. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data with p = 0.05. The participation was voluntary, and confidentiality was ensured.

The mean age of the participants was 31 ± 7.9 years. Almost half (51.5%) of the participants engaged in daily snacking. The sociodemographic factors such as younger age (0.000), marital status (p = 0.001), salary package (p = 0.006), living situation (p = 0.05), designation (p = 0.042) and work experience (p = 0.001) significantly related with the unhealthy snacking pattern scores. Daily snacking was significantly associated with hunger (p = 0.001), stress (p = 0.001), weight (p = 0.000), peer influence (p = 0.041) and taste (p = 0.001). Hunger, stress, taste, peer influence, boredom and weight were significantly (p = 0.05) associated with unhealthy snacking patterns.

The mean age of the participants was 31 ± 7.9 years. Almost half (51.5%) of the participants engaged in daily snacking. The sociodemographic factors such as younger age (0.000), marital status (p = 0.001), salary package (p = 0.006), living situation (p = 0.05), designation (p = 0.042) and work experience (p = 0.001) significantly related with the unhealthy snacking pattern scores. Daily snacking was significantly associated with hunger (p = 0.001), stress (p = 0.001), weight (p = 0.000), peer influence (p = 0.041) and taste (p = 0.001). Overall, hunger, stress, taste, peer influence, boredom and weight were significantly (p = 0.05) associated with unhealthy snacking patterns such as snacking in between, prioritizing taste over nutrition, exclusion of fruits and vegetables in snacks, lack of control over snacking and snacking habit.

This study uniquely identifies the snacking pattern of IT professionals from Pune, India, which primarily includes unhealthy snacking. Various socio-demographic and other factors such as hunger, taste, stress, boredom, convenience, weight and peer influence, were associated with unhealthy snacking. Understanding the snacking pattern and its determinants can help create nutrition interventions to promote healthy snacking and decrease the risk of noncommunicable diseases in IT professionals.

The purpose of this paper is to indicate the need for and create an insightful understanding of the current factors contributing to consumer’s obesity levels due to their snack choices.

This paper reports on previous literature using publications from the Emerald Insight Journals, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Web of Science electronic database from 1999 to 2018 that validate and support existing literature. The retrieved literature is organised and classified into specific constructs.

Research into consumers’ choice of snacks from an environmental, cultural and health perspective is still underrepresented in the international scientific literature. More research is required on the specific effects of specific levels of the stated factors contributing to obesity. Health and cross-cultural studies are needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the relation between snack choices and factors contributing to obesity that will help to implement more efficient health measures.

This paper is of value to academics studying consumers’ snacking behaviour and public health practitioners evaluating qualitative and quantitative methods to address the obesity epidemic.

In recent years, the traditional pastries industry has gained popularity among tourists due to the advantage of the pastries location at UNESCO Heritage city, Penang. However, the little research focussed on this particular industry, and there is lack of evidence of the tourists' experience with the traditional pastries and how these attributes affect their revisit decision.

The study utilizes a qualitative research design to gain in-depth understanding on tourists' thought and their repurchase decision. Secondary data were collected via TripAdvisor with 68 tourists who visited the most popular three pastries shops namely, Him Heang, Ghee Hiang and Min Xiang Tai, which are later analysed using qualitative content analysis.

The findings revealed that tourists generally concerned about the service quality, value, brand image and atmospherics that could affect their repurchasing decision. Particularly, the staff service quality has been viewed as the upmost important attribute to influence the tourists' decision. Therefore, the pastries shops shall ensure that the staff who serve the tourists shall be well trained to satisfy the tourists' enquiry.

The limitation concerning the interpretation of the secondary data based on the feedbacks and comments of the tourists may derive the bias possibility. Future research might consider the large-scale primary data to extend the findings.

Limited research exists on the tourists' experience which affects the repurchasing decision in pastries industry. This study provides valuable information for pastries shops and researchers interested in this area.

Older readers may remember the time when peas were vegetables that you ate for only a few short weeks in the summer, and really fresh fish was one of the joys of living, or holidaying, in a seaside town. Younger readers may never have podded garden peas before cooking them, and although they may appreciate the wide variety of excellent frozen fish available, they may never have seen the traditional display of the old fashioned fish monger. These facts make us realise how much frozen foods have changed our lives.