we will look at individual differences using models that explain seg-
mentation.
DETERMINANTS OF FOOD CHOICE
Attitudes and Beliefs
We need to understand the process by which food choices are made.
By understanding the reasons for people’s choice of foods we can at-
tempt to change these choices and so influence dietary patterns in line
with recommendations from those involved with promoting health. Food
choice is influenced by many interrelating factors and by its very nature
is a complex issue. A number of models have been proposed to delin-
eate the effects of the likely influences (Yudkin, 1956; Pilgrim, 1957;
Khan, 1981; Randall and Sanjur, 1981; Shepherd, 1985, all in Shepherd
and Sparks, 1994). Such models contain a large number of variables that
can be divided up into those related to the food, to the individual mak-
ing the choice and to the external environment; but “these models are
not quantitative. They do not attempt to explain the likely mechanisms
of action of the different factors, nor to quantify their relative impor-
tance or how they interact” (Shepherd and Sparks, 1994, pp. 202, 204).
Studying the beliefs and attitudes held by an individual and the rela-
tionship between attitudes and beliefs to the choices the individual makes
offers increased knowledge about the roles played by a number of dif-
ferent types of factors in food choice. One structured attitude model was
proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975, in Shepherd and Sparks, 1994),
the theory of reasoned action. This theory posits that intention to un-
dertake a behavior is a key antecedent of that behavior and proposes two
components as primary determinants of intention: the attitude of the sub-
ject towards a behavior, which is itself a function of the beliefs about
the outcomes of undertaking the behavior, and the importance the sub-
ject attaches to those outcomes. The latter is termed the subjective norm.
ATTITUDE TOWARD NOVEL FOODS
We choose or reject food on the basis of intrinsic and extrinsic char-
acteristics. Intrinsic factors are sensory attributes. An example of ex-
trinsic factors might include risk perceptions associated with the product,
the process used to manufacture the product (Saba et al., 1998), or trust
in the risk regulations (Frewer et al., 1996). We may have a positive set
Attitude Toward Novel Foods 159