The consumer of frozen vegetables is defined as someone who wants
to serve fresh vegetables but looks for the ideal compromise, which is
found in frozen vegetables. This type of consumer is described as mod-
ern, sophisticated and chic—a busy person, working outside the home,
who considers cooking a waste of time. In the family of the consumer
of frozen vegetables, the microwave oven takes a central place. In the
figure, the typical consumer of frozen vegetables is situated in the third
quadrant.
The typical consumer of canned vegetables is considered as old-fash-
ioned, having no taste. This person is considered as introverted and
servile. A typical characteristic of this person is a lack of spending much
money on food. The typical consumer of canned vegetables is situated
in the fourth quadrant of the figure.
The consumer of vegetables in glass occupies a dualistic position in
the upper half of the figure. This person is perceived as active, working
outside the home and responsible for a family. Normally, fresh vegeta-
bles are preferred, but the typical consumer of vegetables in glass does
not like cooking and values personal time. Under these circumstances,
vegetables in glass are an ideal alternative. Quality occupies a dominant
position related to food choice. The fact that the core product can be
seen through the glass helps to evaluate the quality. Another typical char-
acteristic is related to the ideal that vegetables in glass give the possi-
bility of meeting every wish in the family.
In quantitative research, the perception of different types of vegeta-
bles is assessed using a pick-any scaling technique. The pick-any scal-
ing method differs from the more classical scaling methods such as the
Likert scale or semantic differential in that respondents need less time
and find the method easier, without any loss of reliability or validity
(Van Kenhove, 1995). The respondents were asked to choose for each
type of vegetable the most relevant attributes out of a list of attributes,
resulting from the qualitative research. The selection of an attribute by
the respondents means that the attribute is highly associated with the
product discussed.
The attributes were split up in core product attributes, augmented
product attributes, product benefits, situation factors and image compo-
nents. The response profiles for each type of vegetables are presented
in Table 13.2.
Fresh vegetables were most associated with the attributes healthy,
tasty and natural. The perceived benefit of fresh vegetables is that they
provide people with the necessary vitamins and minerals. Fresh vegeta-
Perception of Fresh and Processed Vegetables 257