Factors Influencing the Purchasing Decision Process of Low-Carbohydrate Products.

The American populace has had a long infatuation with Low-fat and Low Carb diets. Irrespective of the fact that earlier this month (August 1, 2005) Atkins Nutritionals Inc, the manufacturer or the Atkins Diet food products filed for Chapter 11, a growing number of diet trends continue to spread across the nation in an effort to improve health and lose weight. Low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets are the most popular and in the last two years, the number of low-carbohydrate products available in stores has sharply increased. Consequently, the word "carb" is used extensively in food packaging; however, many low-carbohydrate products are expensive and tasteless. A recent report shows some dieters forking over $138 dollars a week for the diet-based foods compared to about $55 dollars a week for a normal diet (Hoffman and Rose 2005). Given the continued growth of the diet industry, the purpose of this study was to determine attitudes toward low-carbohydrate diets among consumers and the attributes that influence their purchase decision. The results showed that consumers trust low-fat diets more than low-carbohydrate as effective agents to achieve weight loss and improve overall health. Further, price and taste of low-carb products were the most problematic factors that affected consumers' purchase decision. The findings suggest that suppliers and manufacturers of diet foods should focus on low-fat attributes in package labeling instead of low-carb. However, the findings also suggest that since diabetics must follow low-carbohydrate diets that medical institutions consider distributing such products as well at grocery chains.

Victoria A. Seitz, N. R. (2006). Factors Influencing the Purchasing Decision Process of Low-Carbohydrate Products.