Contaminated and unhygienic food intake is a major problem in the urban cities of Bangladesh. This raises a serious concern for health of the urban citizens. The research investigates into the attitude of the urban educated people on their awareness of food safety. The findings of the study suggest a high degree of awareness amongst respondents of the attitudinal survey. People with higher educational background show higher degree of awareness of how the quality of food should be maintained. A lack of confidence on the functions of government regulatory agency in testing the food standard is also reflected in the study.

Ahmed Taneem Muzaffar

Jashim Uddin Ahmed

S. S. M. Sadrul Huda

English

Research Papers in Economics

 
   1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Perception on Food Quality among Urban 
People 
 
 
S. S. M. Sadrul Huda, Ahmed Taneem Muzaffar and Jashim Uddin Ahmed 
 
 
 
 
Office of Research and Publications (ORP) 
American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) 
 
 
 
 
Working Paper No. AIUB-BUS-ECON-2008-17 
 
 
 
 
 
Citation 
S. S. M. Sadrul Huda, Ahmed Taneem Muzaffar and Jashim Uddin Ahmed (2008). The 
Perception on Food Quality among Urban People. AIUB Bus Econ Working Paper Series, No 
2008-17, http://orp.aiub.edu/WorkingPaper/WorkingPaper.aspx?year=2008 
 
 
 
 
 
May 2008 
 
Copyright © 2008 American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) 
  
   2
The Perception on Food Quality among Urban People 
 
 
S. S. M. Sadrul Huda 
Assistant Professor 
Department of Business Administration 
East West University 
43 Mohakhali Commercial Area, Dhaka 1212 
Email: sadrul@ewubd.edu 
 
 
Ahmed Taneem Muzaffar 
Senior Lecturer 
Department of Economics 
East West University 
43 Mohakhali Commercial Area, Dhaka 1212 
Email: taneemm@yahoo.com 
 
 
Jashim Uddin Ahmed, PhD 
Assistant Professor and Associate Director  
School of Business 
North South University 
Dhaka-1213 
Tel.  (02) 9885611-20, Ext-382 
Cell:  01819-695122 
E-mail: jashim@northsouth.edu 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   3
The Perception on Food Quality among Urban People 
 
Abstract 
Contaminated and unhygienic food intake is a major problem in the urban cities of 
Bangladesh.  This raises a serious concern for health of the urban citizens.  The research 
investigates into the attitude of the urban educated people on their awareness of food 
safety. The findings of the study suggest a high degree of awareness amongst respondents 
of the attitudinal survey. People with higher educational background show higher degree 
of awareness of how the quality of food should be maintained. A lack of confidence on the 
functions of government regulatory agency in testing the food standard is also reflected 
in the study.  
 
Keywords: Food quality, contaminated food, unhygienic environment, processed food. 
 
 
INTRODUCTION 
Sallis (1992) sees, quality is consistent conformance to a standard. Quality of food is an 
extremely important aspect of human life as it is directly related to health issue of a 
person. In Bangladesh, the issue that raises most concern is food safety. Quality control is 
rarely ensured in Bangladesh starting from the kitchen market to fancy departmental 
stores. Recent media reports on the malpractice in the food sector has revealed horrifying 
scenario leading to massive public outcry (The Daily Star, February 7, 2006). Although 
there is no official statistics on food borne illness, it is perceived to be a major problem in 
urban areas of Bangladesh. Contaminated food, filthy and unhygienic environment of 
urban cities result in health hazard which may even cause deaths. The most populous city 
in Bangladesh is its capital, Dhaka, population of which exceeds 10 million at present 
(Rahman and Ismail, 2004). The size of the population is projected at about 18.5 million 
by 2015 (Alam, 2002). Rural migration will be around 70 percent of the total increase in 
population (Ministry of Agriculture, Malaysia, 2004).  
 
According to Zugarramurdi (2003), people are increasingly concerned about nutrition, 
food safety at a reasonable cost. Marketers face a set of environmental issues that 
substantially determine customer acceptance of their products. The definition of good 
quality food, however, may vary depending upon the type of food and the individual’s 
food preference. Some of the important features of quality include wholesomeness, 
freshness, nutritional value, texture, color, fragrance, and flavor. It was also found that as 
raw material quality level rises, these variables increase as well as operating costs 
decrease (Giannini et al., 2001; Zugarramurdi et al., 2002). The results indicated that the 
quality of raw material has a direct correspondence to the quality of the product. To many 
consumers safe food means that there will be no danger from harmful elements such as 
pathogenic microorganisms, naturally occurring toxins and other potentially harmful 
chemicals which appear to be deliberately added to food products in the country. The 
presence of microorganisms in food poses the greatest threat to human health compared 
to all forms of contamination (Rouf, 2004). The consumers also rely on the standards of 
manufacture particularly to know what ingredients are present and the right mixture and 
quality of it due to nutritional requirements. The widespread media attention to public  
   4
health and malpractices to contaminate food in recent years helped heighten consumer 
awareness for the safety of food. Government of Bangladesh often intensifies its action 
against adulteration of food at an irregular basis. Using specially set up mobile courts the 
authority gives a drive to identify punishable offences and file cases under the 
Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI) Ordinance 1985 and Pure Food Ordinance 
2005. The areas of malpractices include low quality food, fake licenses, poor or 
substandard infrastructure, food adulteration, food impurity, incorrect information on 
quality and weight printed on packet, problems with mixture of ingredients and 
manufacturing process, and not conforming to expiry date. Mobile courts have found that 
the yoghurt or the other traditional sweets that we love so dearly are not what they seem. 
In a survey conducted in February 2005, DCC officials found that 100 percent of 
examined samples of rashogolla, kalojaam, yoghurts, and shandesh were adulterated. 
According to the Pure Food Ordinance 1959, at least 10 percent milk fat is mandatory in 
sweetmeats. But in most cases, the percentage of milk fat is not more than five percent. In 
most cases, sweetmeat producers or bakeries use toxic colours instead of food colours, 
which are carcinogens and may cause diseases like cancer and kidney damage, if 
regularly ingested (The Daily Star, February 7, 2006).  
 
OBJECTIVES  
This research paper is an attempt to investigate the nature of perception of urban people 
on their food intake quality. It particularly focuses on Dhaka city dwellers to find out how 
conscious they are and tries to provide some useful insights on their attitude towards the 
quality of food they eat. 
 
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY  
During the year 2006, the inspection on food quality in urban areas particularly in Dhaka 
gained a momentum leading to widespread media coverage on the nature of the problem 
that persisted in the society. This was expected to result in a higher level of consumer 
awareness and greater concern over consumption of processed food. Against this 
backdrop, this research carried out an investigation on buyers of processed food in the 
Dhaka city during March-April, 2007.  
 
It is the nature of the research problem that should dictate the appropriate research 
method; sometimes quantification is required, sometimes not (Ackroyd and Hughes, 
1992). Questionnaires offer a method of conducting a survey where all respondents are 
asked exactly the same questions in the same circumstance. To support this method, 
Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Lowe (1999: 72) noted, “If researchers wish to obtain 
answers to a number of fairly simple questions then a questionnaire might well be more 
appropriate”. Using a structured questionnaire, the attitudinal survey approached to 
different types of buyers in large food stores and small shops of the city. During the span 
of two months, in this research, a total of 150 buyers were willing to be interviewed and 
responded to the questions. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, version 
11.5), which is one of the most commonly used packages for quantitative research 
methods for data analysis was used to conduct the various analyses of the study (Bryman 
and Cramer, 1994).  
   5
THE HYPOTHESES 
 
To facilitate the attitudinal survey following research hypothesis were tested. 
 
H 1: Regular buyer of processed food 
H 2: Quality information printed on package is believable. 
H 3: Advertisement of children’s food product is always fair. 
H 4: BSTI approval is checked before buying food. 
H 5: BSTI performs its functions properly. 
H 6: High price ensures quality of food. 
H 7: Foreign food is preferred to local food. 
H 8: Impure food affects our health. 
H 9: Packaging affects buying decision of customers. 
 
The Empirical Evidence on Perception on Food Quality 
The empirical results of the test of attitudes of respondents are summarized below. 
  
 
Table 1: Test Result on Hypotheses (Test value = 3) 
 
95% Confidence 
Interval of the 
Difference 
   
  T df  Sig.  (2-tailed) Mean 
Difference
Lower Upper 
I am a regular buyer of 
processed food  3.507 149 .001  .26  .11  .41 
I believe in quality 
information printed on 
product package 
15.937 149  .000  1.11  .98  1.25 
Advertisement of food 
product addressed to 
children is always fair 
-3.178 149 .002  -.27  -.43  -.10 
We should always check 
BSTI approval before 
buying food 
13.138 149  .000  1.08  .92  1.24 
BSTI performs its 
functions properly as the 
quality regulatory 
institution in Bangladesh 
-.975 149 .331 -9.33E-02  -.28  9.58E-02
High price always ensures 
high quality  -1.010 148 .314  -9.40E-02  -.28  8.98E-02
People are more attracted 
to foreign foods than our 
local food. 
11.064 149  .000  .81  .67  .96 
Consumption of impure 
food affects your health  15.476 148  .000  1.28  1.11  1.44 
Packaging is very 
important to attract 
consumer 
13.522 148  .000  1.03  .88  1.18 
 
Source: Field Survey, March-April, 2007.  
   6
The above evidence suggests that consumers have the habit of buying processed food and 
they believe the information on quality printed on the product package. In respect of 
children’s food product, consumers appear to have faith in the advertisement on such 
products as supported by the test result shown in Table 1. The buyers also have the 
awareness to check the BSTI approval always before buying food. However, there seems 
to be less faith on the performance of BSTI as the quality regulatory agency in 
Bangladesh. 
 
Table 1 also reflects the consumers’ attitude about high price and quality of the product.  
As the result suggests, high price of a product does not necessarily ensure high quality as 
perceived by the consumers. There is also an inclination towards buying foreign food 
compared to local one amongst the buyers. In the assessment of impure food intake, the 
respondents agree that it leads to health hazard. They also think that packaging is very 
important to attract consumers. 
 
 
Production of Quality Food: Education and Gender Response 
 
Table 2 records the respondents’ attitude towards factors that are needed to ensure quality 
food production. Around 36 percent of the male respondents and about 34 percent of the 
female respondents say that all three factors namely good quality ingredients, correct 
mixture of ingredients, and manufacturing process, are important.   
 
Table 2: Gender Response on Production of Quality Food 
Factors that needed for the production of quality food 
  Good 
quality of 
ingredients 
Right 
mixture of 
ingredients 
Manufacturing 
process 
All of 
them 
Total 
Count  7  7  6  55  75 
Male  % of Total  4.70%  4.70%  4.00%  36.70%  50.00% 
Count  17  1  5  52  75 
GENDER  Female  % of Total  11.30%  0.70%  3.30%  34.70%  50.00% 
Count  24  8  11  107  150 
Total  % of Total  16.00%  5.30%  7.30%  71.30%  100.00
% 
Source: Field Survey, March-April, 2007 
 
The variation in the responses in terms of differences in educational background is 
reflected in Table 3.   
   7
Table 3: Educational Background and Response on Production of Quality Food 
 
Factors that needed for the production of quality 
food 
  Good 
quality of 
ingredients 
Right 
mixture of 
ingredients 
Manufacturing 
process 
All of 
them 
Total 
Count  2      1  3 
SSC 
% of Total  1.30%      0.70%  2.00% 
Count  3      22  25 
HSC 
% of Total  2.00%      14.70%  16.70% 
Count  15  7  8  54  84 
Graduate 
% of Total  10.00%  4.70%  5.30%  36.00%  56.00% 
Count  4  1  3  27  35 
Master 
% of Total  2.70%  0.70%  2.00%  18.00%  23.30% 
Count        3  3 
EDUCATION 
PH.D 
% of Total        2.00%  2.00% 
Count  24  8  11  107  150 
Total 
% of Total  16.00%  5.30%  7.30%  71.30%  100.00% 
 
Source: Field Survey, March-April, 2007 
 
Responses show a higher degree of awareness of the presence of the factors amongst 
graduates compared to respondents who passed only Secondary School Certificate and 
Higher Secondary Certificate educational levels. Around 36 percent of the graduates 
responded that all three factors are important. 
 
 
CONCLUSION 
The study in general provides evidence of awareness amongst urban consumers who buy 
processed food about its quality. In recent years expenditure on food has become one of 
the largest components of domestic cost of living. Markets these days offer a wide range 
of processed food. At the same time, the issue of food safety is also gaining importance 
amongst buyer of such processed food. In future, development of mass market and advent 
of new technology would help improve the science of food safety and reduce the health 
hazard due to contaminated food.     
 
 
 
  
   8
REFERENCES 
 
Ackroyd, S. and Hughes, J. (1992). Data Collection in Context. Essex: Longman. 
 
Alam, Md. Z., (2002). ‘Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures’, Bangladesh Country 
Paper presented in APO Seminar, Tokyo, Japan. 
 
Bryman, A. and Cramer, D. (1994). Quantitative Data Analysis for Social Scientists. 
London: Routledge. 
 
Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R. and Lowe, A. (1999). Management Research: An   
Introduction. London: Sage.  
Giannini, D.H., Parin, M.A., Gadaleta, L.B, Carrizo, G. and Zugarramurdi, A. (2001). 
‘Influence of raw material quality on quality of iced and frozen white fish products’. 
Journal of Food Quality, 24: 527-538. 
Ministry of Agriculture (2004). “Report of the National Task Force on Food Safety 
Bangladesh”, Proceedings of FAO-WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for Asia 
and the Pacific, Seremban, Malaysia, May 24-27, 2004. 
 
Rahman, S. M. and Ismail, A. T. K. M., (2004). ‘Strengthening Official Food Control 
Services’, Proceedings of the Conference FAO/WHO Second Global Forum for Food 
Safety Regulators, Bangkok, Thailand, October 12-14, 2004. 
 
Rouf, A., (2004). ‘Enhancing Certification System for Better Marketing’, Country paper 
prepared for APO Seminar, Tokyo, Japan, January, 2004. 
 
Sallis, E. (1992). ‘Total Quality Management and standards in further education’, in H. 
Tomlinson, (Ed.), The Search for Standards, pp. 169-188. Essex: Longman Group.   
Zugarramurdi, A. (2003). ‘Import requirements and quality costs’, in FAO Report of the 
Expert Consultation on International Fish Trade (FAO Fisheries Report No. 744).   
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3-5 December, 2003. 
Zugarramurdi, A., Gadaleta, L., Carrizo, G. and Parin, M.A. (2002). ‘Influence of Raw 
Fatty Fish Quality on Cured Product Quality’. Journal of Aquatic Food Product 
Technology, 11: 39-55. 

Data Collection in Context.

Enhancing Certification System for Better Marketing’, Country paper prepared for APO Seminar,

Import requirements and quality costs’,

Influence of raw material quality on quality of iced and frozen white fish products’.

Management Research: An Introduction.

Quantitative Data Analysis for Social Scientists.

Report of the National Task Force on Food Safety Bangladesh”,

Strengthening Official Food Control Services’,

Total Quality Management and standards in further education’,

The Perception on Food Quality among Urban People

http://orp.aiub.edu/FileZone/OtherFiles/orpadmin-8589891075233560808/AIUB-BUS-ECON-2008-17.pdf

The Perception on Food Quality among Urban People

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Research Papers in Economics