MBR RESEARCH PROJECT

Find out the quality, convenience and price

perception of consumers towards their usage of ready

to eat food.

Submitted to: Ma’am Kausar Saeed

GROUP MEMBERS:
Javeria Khan 20361
Pallavi Jhamani 20562
Laiba Nasir 20522

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 Sahil Devidass 21153

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION:..............................................................................................................................4
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:........................................................................................5
PHENOMENON OF THE STUDY.........................................................................................6
RESEARCH PROBLEM:.........................................................................................................7
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:.....................................................................................................7
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:....................................................................................................8
SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH.................................................................................................8
IMPORTANCE OF THE RESEARCH....................................................................................8
LITERATURE REVIEW...................................................................................................................9
RESEARCH 1..........................................................................................................................9
RESEARCH 2..........................................................................................................................9
RESEARCH 3........................................................................................................................10
THEORETICAL FRAME WORK..................................................................................................11
HYPOTHESIS:..................................................................................................................................12
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:....................................................................................................12
RESEARCH DESIGN:...........................................................................................................12
NATURE OF STUDY............................................................................................................12
DATA COLLECTION METHOD.........................................................................................13
SAMPLING DATA................................................................................................................13
NATURE AND FORM OF RESULTS..................................................................................13
DATA ANALYSIS:...........................................................................................................................14
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION:...........................................................................................21
REGRESSION:......................................................................................................................21
RESULTS:.........................................................................................................................................24
CONCLUSION:.................................................................................................................................24
RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................................25
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:..................................................................................................25
BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................................25
APPENDICES:..................................................................................................................................26
QUESTIONNAIRE:...............................................................................................................26

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Apart from the efforts of the team members, the success of this project depends largely on the
encouragement and guidelines of many others. We take this opportunity to express our
gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful completion of this
project.

We would like to show our greatest appreciation to Ms. kausar Saeed who through extending
her support helped us to follow the track leading to the completion of the report. Also, we are
thankful to our family who also guided, motivated and helped us through it.

The guidance and support received from all the team whose contributions to this project,
were of immense importance for the success of the project.

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INTRODUCTION:

Things have changed a lot in the 21st century such as consumer eating habits and buying
behaviour. Nowadays consumer look for innovation and creativity in foods. Consumer’s
need, preferences and choices have changed and in order to cater to the changes new
innovations have come into being.
Consumer purchases are likely to be influenced by physiological, psychological, cultural and
sociological factors. The ready to eat commodities and services are brought by the consumer
to satisfy his basic needs for comfort, pleasure, recreation and happiness.
Women these days are more educated and literate as compared to women used to be before
therefore, they do not prefer to waste their time doing home chores all day. Secondly women
also like to spend time going out and don’t likely to prefer to cook. They have learnt to spend
their time wisely, investing in things which are more important. There has been a growing
trend of working women these days, who can be seen in all sectors of economy performing
their respective role. These women have to maintain their family life and career life equally.
The most tiring of all is to come home, after a long day at work and cook food for the family.
The lack of time and energy of these women may result in no/less variety in the food they
cook. Moreover, some women even store their leftover food so that it can be consumed the
other day however that food may not contain the nutrients that the body needs as they are not
fresh. Furthermore, a trend of buying food from stalls has also been observed, as the food
sold is cheap and the quantity given is large however the food at these stalls is not hygienic
and may cause illness if consumed daily.
Men these days don’t feel shy in doing home chores because things have become easier than
before and the mind-set of men have changed a lot. Also because new innovations in
technology have made the life of men and women easier especially when both of them are
working.
Even students living away from their families prefer ready to eat food because it is not easy
and manageable for them to cook every time.
Therefore to cater to such problems ready to eat food in form of frozen food have been
introduced in markets. These foods are available in variety and are hygienic and have an
affordable price. The ready-to-eat food can be prepared easily, in less time and gives the taste
as well. Though these foods are frozen but they also contain some preservatives that prevent
the food from bacteria.

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BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:

There has been a growing trend of purchasing ready to eat foods, which is most commonly
seen among working women, students who live on sharing basis, and even among men. The
reason behind this is the fact that cooking food is a time consuming task and as these women
as so occupied with their office work together with taking care of their families, they are left
with little time to spend on cooking. The research is conducted about the perception of
ready-to-eat foods and the factors most important to the customers. Regardless of lifestyle,
in the majority of households in Pakistan women are responsible for making decisions about
preparing food or cooking.
These consumers though have always tried to maintain a balance between their work and
family life however; sometimes things get a bit messed up. For this very reason, ready to eat
meals have been introduced around the world. These meals help working women cook food
in less time, making their family not to wait for hours for the food to get ready. Moreover,
previously women also used to store the leftover food so that it can be consumed the other
day. Although it took less time for the food to be heated and served, this food lacked certain
nutrients due to not being fresh. Ready to eat meals, on the other hand, are made with
harmless preservatives that allows the food to remain healthy even if stored for longer periods
(within their storage life).
These foods are healthier as compared to the greasy burgers, pizzas, biryani etc. bought from
the stalls. Students who live apart from their families and are busy in their studies maintain a
balance by preferring ready to eat food so that don’t have to worry about cooking at home
and pay attention on their studies. Similarly men, when in situations, spouse is not available
they tend to buy readymade food either frozen or consider freshmen as a best option. Thus
ready to eat food has made the life much more easier by saving time however, many
contradicts by putting forward the factors that ready to eat food is not as healthy and fresh as
homemade food.

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PHENOMENON OF THE STUDY

A lot of super markets in Karachi have a separate section for the buyers of ready to eat
frozen/ non-frozen foods. The foods are kept stored there and buyers visit the section, filling
their baskets with the foods they like. The stores contain huge varieties of these products
including branded and un-branded products of different prices. These sections (frozen/ non-
frozen foods) are present in all the big stores in Karachi which is the reason we opted for this
research topic. Having a separate corner for ready to eat meals, which are to be heated to
consume, must be as a result of its increased purchase by the consumers.
Secondly, trend of ready to eat food from freshmen is also increasing because it has a long
shelf live and can also be used for travelling purpose because it is safe and easy to carry.
Students to go abroad for studies carry pouch packing food to use for few months till they are
settled.
Moreover, as our generation is moving towards getting good education, most of the women
have opted for doing jobs in order to support their families financially whereas, the others do
it out of their own free will and interest. Due to their tight work hours, they are seen to be
left with no time for cooking and therefore, these women go out to purchase ready to eat
meals which they store for later use as well.
We, the researchers, wanted to find out what these consumers have in their minds regarding
the product’s quality, convenience and price that make them buy the meal which is why the
following research was conducted.

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RESEARCH PROBLEM:

DEFINING THE PROBLEM STATEMENT:

The purpose of this research is to
Find out the quality, convenience and price perception of consumers towards their usage
of ready to eat food.
Symptom: The increase/decrease in the usage of these ready-to-eat food is a symptom to a
problem.
Problem focus: Several firms have engaged in production and marketing of ready to eat food
products, hence the consumers have more options to choose from them. Understanding the
consumer behaviour would help the firms in developing strategies to cater the needs of the
consumer and on the other hand determining the preference of consumer towards ready to eat
food.
Problem: perception of consumer regarding the quality, convenience and price of ready-to-
eat food.
Quality and convenience are concepts that can be explained as follows;
Dimensions of quality Dimensions of convenience
Shelf/storage life (the time period within Availability
which the food is safe to consume)
Taste Ease of cooking
Brand Less time consuming
Hygiene

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

Q.1. Are you concerned about the food quality of ready to eat food?
Q.2. Is freshness of ready to eat food long lasting?
Q.3. Is the price of ready to eat foods affordable?
Q.4. Is price an important factor while choosing the brand of ready to eat foods?
Q.5. Do you think ready to eat foods are easy to prepare?
Q.6. Do you prefer ready to eat foods because they are convenient to purchase?
Q.7. Do you prefer ready to eat food because they are convenient to cook?
Q.8. Do you frequently prefer to consume or purchase ready to eat food?
Q.9. Is brand a key factor in your choice for ready to eat food?

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RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

To find whether quality, price and convenience are important factors that influence consumer
buying behaviour when it comes to purchasing and consuming ready to eat foods.
For the following research we will be having following objectives:
 To find out how many consumer prefer buying ready to eat food
 To determine their preference regarding the quality; brand, taste, storage life, hygiene,
freshness of the ready to eat foods
 To identify their preference regarding the convenience; availability, ease of cooking
and less time consuming of these ready to eat meals.
 To ascertain their price perception towards ready to eat meal.

SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

As the research is being conducted as a result of being influenced by the consumer who
prefer ready to eat food and the super markets (where most of the buyers are these working
women, students and men) the goal of the research is to study the quality, convenience and
price perception of these working women towards ready to eat foods. The quality is further
broken down in to brands, taste, shelf life, hygiene and freshness whereas; convenience is
broken into ease of cooking and availability of the ready to eat foods.
The consumers will benefit in a way:
They will get the knowledge in comparison to the price that they are paying to buy frozen,
non-frozen, or freshmen food and the value that they are getting.
The consumers will get to know preferences of other consumers and their experience with the
product. This will connect them to the market as they will be aware of the brand offering with
the best quality and price.
IMPORTANCE OF THE RESEARCH

It is a well-known fact that much of our population is moving towards ready-to-eat products
as they find it more convenient. However, people these days are very much concerned when
it comes to their health and therefore, no consumer would prefer to buy a product which is of
low quality. It is therefore, very important for a ready-to-eat product company to find out the
consumers’ perception regarding the quality, convenience and price of the product.
Most of the consumers define quality in terms of the brand being sold, the ingredients used,
its freshness, its storage life, availability, ease of cooking and price. If a product is successful
in all these categories it is assumed to be good. The purpose of our research is to prove the
same as all of this has an effect on the usage/consumption of the product. No company
would want to lower their sales or cut down their consumers because of not knowing what

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their perception of quality, convenience and price is, therefore the following research needs
to be conducted to find out the same.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Research 1
The following research was conducted by Dr. N. Sundaram (Associate Professor at VIT
University, Vellore) based on the influencing factors impacting consumers’ food choice with
reference to ready-to-eat segment in Southern India.
The objectives for the research were:
 To assess the factors influencing the choice of consumers regarding ready-to-eat
products.
 To find out the influence of western culture in making decisions of ready-to-eat
products.
 To study the implications of consumer food choice for these products on health and
healthy eating.
The type of research is exploratory and was carried out to get an insight of the determinants
of these ready-to-eat products. An empirical study was conducted to study the implications
of these products on health and healthy eating habits of the consumers. The research
consisted of a literature review in which the variables that impact the food choice of
consumers were studied. Moreover, in-depth interviews were conducted using some
demographic variables such as age, gender, education, profession etc. Then an exploratory
questionnaire was designed based on that, with the purpose of studying the impact on
consumer demographics and psychographics for the ready-to-eat foods. The sample size for
the following research was 100.
The results were as follows:
 People aged 20-30 responded that the key determinants impacting the food choice of
consumers towards ready-to-eat products are convenience, taste and lifestyle.
 People aged 20-30 agreed that western culture has an influence on their decision to
buy ready-to-eat products.
 People aged 20-30 responded that these foods are healthy whereas, those aged 30-40
regarded ready-to-eat food as unhealthy.
Research 2
The research was conducted by Hyun-Joo Bae, Mi-Jin Chae and Kisany Ryu on consumer
behaviors towards ready-to-eat foods based on food related lifestyles in Korea.
The purpose of the study was to examine consumers’ behavior towards ready-to-eat foods
and to develop a market segmentation of such foods in Korea.
The survey for the research was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire also
incorporated the cultural differences as it was designed for the Koreans. The questionnaire
consisted of two parts one of which was related to the food-related lifestyle of the consumers

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whereas, the other part related to their socio-demographic characteristics. The questions
were based on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 till 5 (disagree to strongly agree)
A pilot test was conducted on 30 consumers on the basis of which the questionnaires were
modified. The questionnaires then were distributed to 480 consumers and data analysis was
applied on the responses using SPSS.
The results of the research showed that:
 Demographics of the respondents were as follows:
1. 42.4% respondents were male.
2. 57.6% respondents were female.
3. 47.3% of them were married.
4. 56.3% of them were single.
 The consumers purchased ready-to-eat foods out of convenience (50.7%) usually
from supermarkets and discount marts, specialty stores and convenience stores.
 58.5% of the consumers were concerned with individual eating patterns for daily
meals (tradition seekers) while 41.5% selected these foods for their convenience
(convenience seekers). There were no significant differences seen in terms of health
and taste orientation.
 More tradition seekers lived with families and had a greater proportion with high
school education. Most of the convenience seekers lived alone and had an education
level higher than that of the tradition seekers.
 Tradition seekers consumed ready-to-eat foods more between their meals whereas, the
convenience seekers consumed these foods as meals.
Research 3
Another study by Paulette Siekierski, Mateus Canniatti Ponchio and Vivian Iara Strehlau was
conducted on the topic Influence of lifestyles related to eating habits in ready meals
consumption. The purpose of this research was to find out how lifestyles related to eating
habits influence the ready-to-eat foods consumption. Furthermore, the research was a
comparative study between Brazilian and Italian consumers.
The survey was conducted through questionnaires which were circulated on the internet. The
non-probabilistic sample consisted of 155 Italian and 200 Brazilian respondents. The
questionnaires included socio-demographic characteristics such as age, level of education,
marital status, type of ready-to-eat meal consumed, monthly income of the family etc.
Different tests were applied on the data after it was collected.
The results showed that:
 The influence of age on taste orientation is positive.
 Singles with children give less importance to taste as compared to singles without
children.
 Brazilian respondents valued taste more as compared to the Italian respondents.
 Married individuals, with or without children, were more convenience oriented.
 Older people were less convenience oriented.
 Increase in the number of ready-to-eat meals made per month decreased the tradition
orientation of the respondents.

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 THEORETICAL FRAME WORK

Quality of the ready-to-eat

frozen food
(Independent Variable)

Storage
life Taste
Brand Hygiene

Usage/Consumption
Convenience of the ready-to-eat
(Dependent Variable)
food

(Independent Variable)

Availability Ease of
preparing

Price of the ready-to-eat food

(Independent Variable)

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HYPOTHESIS:

Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are
nutritious/healthy.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods with a long
storage life.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are
hygienic/clean.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not think ready-to-eat foods are good in taste.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are
easily available.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not think ready-to-eat foods are easy to prepare.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not think ready-to-eat foods have a reasonable price.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Research design:

Our research is basic research in which we want to find out the perception of consumers
towards quality, convenience and price of ready to eat food. The method of research would
be survey research in which a sample of 50-80 consumers will be studied by means of a
questionnaire. The sample for the survey would be consumers who prefer ready to eat food.
The questionnaires will be distributed to the respondents, queries will be answered if any and
it will be collected after it has been filled completely. The questionnaires will then be
analysed using different graphs so that the qualitative data is converted into quantitative data.
Moreover different tests will be applied on the results with the help of SPSS through which
the data will be analysed further and conclusions will be drawn.
Nature of study

The nature of the study is descriptive research and the method of the research would be
survey in which we will interview the 100 consumers who prefer ready to eat food in
different malls and supermarts and also prepare online questionnaire for young consumers
who are basically studying or living alone. The questionnaire would be precise and clear
enough for the respondents to understand. Moreover, the questionnaire will contain closed
ended questions (having options) for the purpose of getting concrete answers.

Considering the sampling methods the research findings cannot be used to infer the
perception of the overall population. Therefore the research is “basic” and conducted to

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gather information about the attitude of the population and no decisions are to be made on the
basis of the findings. In this quality and convenience are concepts which cannot be measured
directly. As such they are divided into constructs and are determined through variables that
can be measured, which are:

For quality For Convenience

i. Taste i. Availability
ii. Storage life/shelf life ii. Ease of cooking
iii. Brand
iv. Hygiene

Data source: The data source would be primary focusing on interviews through
questionnaires and online questionnaires.
Population: consumers who prefer ready to eat food
Sample: A sample of total 50-80 consumers. Some of them being interviewed at hyper star,
lucky one, Imtiaz, and Aghas. And sample of some consumers approached through
questionnaire through private contacts.
Sampling technique: The sampling technique would be convenient sampling related to mall
intercept as we have differentiated malls and then approaching consumers who are easily
available. And for questionnaire also we will sending it to friends, friends of friends,
relatives.
Data collection method

The method for data collection we used is questionnaire survey. The questionnaire is self-
administered and without the presence of the interviewer. It consists of seventeen questions
aside from those determining the age, income, marital status and family structure of the
respondents.

The questionnaire is structured and undisguised. Considering that we need to measure the
attitude of the respondent the Likert scale is used. To understand what is most important
variable of the quality construct and the brand preference of the respondent we have used the
frequency method.
Sampling data

This research is being done on consumers who prefer ready to eat food and considering the
geographical limitations, our population is narrowed to sample in Karachi. The target
population of our research is further narrowed to a subset of this population i.e. consumers
who prefer ready to eat food.

The sampling method we have chosen is non-probability sampling. The reason for choosing
non-probability sampling is the lack of resources and time. Sample size is 50-100 consumers.
The samples are selected through convenience sampling as it allows us to reach the
population that is closest to us and easiest to reach.
Nature and form of results

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The results will be in the form of different graphs. Furthermore, they will be analysed
through different tests using SPSS. The results will be delivered through a presentation and
in the form of a report (in black and white as well).

DATA ANALYSIS:
Age

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

16-21 38 63.3 63.3 63.3

22-30 13 21.7 21.7 85.0

Valid 33-40 5 8.3 8.3 93.3

40 above 4 6.7 6.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Income

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

20,000 and below 29 48.3 48.3 48.3

20,000-40,000 8 13.3 13.3 61.7

Valid 40,000-60,000 5 8.3 8.3 70.0

60,000 and above 18 30.0 30.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Maritalstatus

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Single 47 78.3 78.3 78.3

Valid Married 13 21.7 21.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Familystructure

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Joint 23 38.3 38.3 38.3

Valid Seperate 37 61.7 61.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Grocceryshopping

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Women/Wife 30 50.0 50.0 50.0

Men/Husband 25 41.7 41.7 91.7

Children 4 6.7 6.7 98.3

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 Maid 1 1.7 1.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Shoppingfrequency

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Weekly 22 36.7 36.7 36.7

Twice a month 12 20.0 20.0 56.7

Valid Once a month 25 41.7 41.7 98.3

Every 2 months 1 1.7 1.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Cookingresponsibility

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

You 11 18.3 18.3 18.3

Maid 6 10.0 10.0 28.3

Valid Other 42 70.0 70.0 98.3

4.00 1 1.7 1.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Homemadefood

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Everyday 52 86.7 86.7 86.7

More than twice a week 5 8.3 8.3 95.0

Valid Twice a week 1 1.7 1.7 96.7

Once a week 2 3.3 3.3 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Readytoeatmeals

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Everyday 2 3.3 3.3 3.3

More than twice a week 10 16.7 16.7 20.0

Twice a week 12 20.0 20.0 40.0

Valid
Once a week 18 30.0 30.0 70.0

Once a month 18 30.0 30.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Kindofreadytoeatmeal

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

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 Frozen 28 46.7 46.7 46.7

Non-Frozen 11 18.3 18.3 65.0

Valid
Freshmen 21 35.0 35.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Ready to eat meals are nutritious/healthy.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Agree 4 6.7 6.7 6.7

Neutral 26 43.3 43.3 50.0

Valid Disagree 18 30.0 30.0 80.0

Strongly Disagree 12 20.0 20.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Ready to eat meals are prepared in a hygienic/clean environment.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 1 1.7 1.7 1.7

Agree 13 21.7 21.7 23.3

Neutral 29 48.3 48.3 71.7

Valid
Disagree 13 21.7 21.7 93.3

Strongly Disagree 4 6.7 6.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

The ingredients used in ready to eat meals are fresh.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 3 5.0 5.0 5.0

Agree 7 11.7 11.7 16.7

Neutral 18 30.0 30.0 46.7

Valid
Disagree 24 40.0 40.0 86.7

Strongly Disagree 8 13.3 13.3 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Ready to eat meals are more tastier than homemade meals.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Strongly Agree 12 20.0 20.0 20.0

Agree 9 15.0 15.0 35.0

Neutral 15 25.0 25.0 60.0

Disagree 11 18.3 18.3 78.3

Strongly Disagree 13 21.7 21.7 100.0

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 Total 60 100.0 100.0

Ready to eat meals with long storage lives are good

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 8 13.3 13.3 13.3

Agree 9 15.0 15.0 28.3

Neutral 16 26.7 26.7 55.0

Valid
Disagree 12 20.0 20.0 75.0

Strongly Disagree 15 25.0 25.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Ready to eat meals are easily available.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 30 50.0 50.0 50.0

Agree 20 33.3 33.3 83.3

Valid Neutral 8 13.3 13.3 96.7

Strongly Disagree 2 3.3 3.3 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

The instructions on how to prepare a ready to eat meal are easy to follow.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 29 48.3 48.3 48.3

Agree 20 33.3 33.3 81.7

Neutral 8 13.3 13.3 95.0
Valid
Disagree 2 3.3 3.3 98.3

Strongly Disagree 1 1.7 1.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Ready to eat meals are slightly more expensive than home cooking.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 19 31.7 31.7 31.7

Agree 28 46.7 46.7 78.3

Neutral 8 13.3 13.3 91.7

Valid
Disagree 3 5.0 5.0 96.7

Strongly Disagree 2 3.3 3.3 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

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 The price charged for ready to eat meals is justified.

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Strongly Agree 2 3.3 3.3 3.3

Agree 17 28.3 28.3 31.7

Neutral 22 36.7 36.7 68.3

Valid
Disagree 16 26.7 26.7 95.0

Strongly Disagree 3 5.0 5.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Brand

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Extremely important 19 31.7 31.7 31.7

Very important 4 6.7 6.7 38.3

Quite important 9 15.0 15.0 53.3

Valid Somewhat important 4 6.7 6.7 60.0

Not important 10 16.7 16.7 76.7

Least important 14 23.3 23.3 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Shelf life

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Extremely important 2 3.3 3.3 3.3

Very important 7 11.7 11.7 15.0

Quite important 13 21.7 21.7 36.7

Valid Somewhat important 5 8.3 8.3 45.0

Not important 14 23.3 23.3 68.3

Least important 19 31.7 31.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Price

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid Extremely important 7 11.7 11.7 11.7

Very important 10 16.7 16.7 28.3

Quite important 10 16.7 16.7 45.0

Somewhat important 17 28.3 28.3 73.3

Not important 7 11.7 11.7 85.0

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 Least important 9 15.0 15.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Taste

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Extremely important 13 21.7 21.7 21.7

Very important 12 20.0 20.0 41.7

Quite important 16 26.7 26.7 68.3

Valid
Somewhat important 12 20.0 20.0 88.3

Not important 7 11.7 11.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Hygiene

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Extremely important 10 16.7 16.7 16.7

Very important 14 23.3 23.3 40.0

Quite important 10 16.7 16.7 56.7

Valid Somewhat important 11 18.3 18.3 75.0

Not important 9 15.0 15.0 90.0

Least important 6 10.0 10.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Preference

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Branded 54 90.0 90.0 90.0

Valid Non-branded 6 10.0 10.0 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

KnN's

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Most preferred 48 80.0 80.0 80.0

Preferred 4 6.7 6.7 86.7

Moderately preferred 4 6.7 6.7 93.3

Valid
Slightly preferred 3 5.0 5.0 98.3

Not preferred 1 1.7 1.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

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 Mon Salwa

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Most preferred 5 8.3 8.3 8.3

Preferred 14 23.3 23.3 31.7

Moderately preferred 36 60.0 60.0 91.7

Valid
Slightly preferred 4 6.7 6.7 98.3

Not preferred 1 1.7 1.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Menu

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Most preferred 6 10.0 10.0 10.0

Preferred 24 40.0 40.0 50.0

Moderately preferred 11 18.3 18.3 68.3

Valid
Slightly preferred 15 25.0 25.0 93.3

Not preferred 4 6.7 6.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

PK Foods

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Preferred 10 16.7 16.7 16.7

Moderately preferred 8 13.3 13.3 30.0

Valid Slightly preferred 32 53.3 53.3 83.3

Not preferred 10 16.7 16.7 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

Any other

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Most preferred 1 1.7 1.7 1.7

Preferred 8 13.3 13.3 15.0

Moderately preferred 1 1.7 1.7 16.7

Valid
Slightly preferred 6 10.0 10.0 26.7

Not preferred 44 73.3 73.3 100.0

Total 60 100.0 100.0

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Findings and Discussion:

Regression:
Variables Entered/Removedb

Model Variables Entered Variables Removed Method

1 Ready to eat meals are slightly more . Enter

expensive than home cooking.,
Ready to eat meals are more tastier
than homemade meals., Ready to
eat meals are easily available.,
Ready to eat meals are
nutritious/healthy., Ready to eat
meals with long storage lives are
good, Ready to eat meals are
prepared in a hygienic/clean
environment.

a. All requested variables entered.

b. Dependent Variable: Readytoeatmeals

Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate

1 .628a .394 .326 .96408

R square is basically the coefficient of determination and it is important because we are running
regression. It is fitness indicator i.e. percentage of variation brought in by our model. This means how
independent variable can bring a percentage change in dependent variable. The significance of R
square is measured by anova.

Model Summary

Change Statistics

Model R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change

1 .394 5.751 6 53 .000

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 a. Predictors: (Constant), Ready to eat meals are slightly more expensive than home cooking., Ready to eat
meals are more tastier than homemade meals., Ready to eat meals are easily available., Ready to eat
meals are nutritious/healthy., Ready to eat meals with long storage lives are good, Ready to eat meals are
prepared in a hygienic/clean environment.

ANOVAb

Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

1 Regression 32.073 6 5.345 5.751 .000a

Residual 49.261 53 .929

Total 81.333 59

a. Predictors: (Constant), Ready to eat meals are slightly more expensive than home cooking., Ready to eat meals are
more tastier than homemade meals., Ready to eat meals are easily available., Ready to eat meals are
nutritious/healthy., Ready to eat meals with long storage lives are good, Ready to eat meals are prepared in a
hygienic/clean environment.

b. Dependent Variable: Readytoeatmeals

The sig. value is less than 0.05 this means that there is statistical difference between variables therefore we
reject the null hypothesis. Secondly the F value is greater than 4 than this also indicates that there is
statistical significance difference.

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 Coefficientsa

Standardized
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients

Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig.

1 (Constant) 1.694 .628 2.699 .009

Ready to eat meals are .543 .162 .408 3.354 .001

nutritious/healthy.

Ready to eat meals are -.085 .178 -.063 -.475 .637

prepared in a hygienic/clean
environment.

Ready to eat meals are more .125 .096 .152 1.299 .199
tastier than homemade meals.

Ready to eat meals with long .270 .109 .312 2.480 .016
storage lives are good

Ready to eat meals are easily -.381 .153 -.304 -2.487 .016
available.

Ready to eat meals are -.173 .142 -.144 -1.213 .231

slightly more expensive than
home cooking.

a. Dependent Variable: Readytoeatmeals

 Ready to eat meals are nutritious holds sig. value 0.001 which is less than 0.05 therefore we reject
the null hypothesis.
 Ready to eat meals are prepared in a hygienic/clean environment holds sig value greater than 0.05
therefore we do not reject the null hypothesis.
 Ready to eat meals are tastier than homemade meals holds sig value greater than 0.05 therefore we
do not reject null hypothesis.
 Ready to eat meals with long storage lives are good has sig value less than 0.05 therefore we reject
our null hypothesis.
 Ready to eat meals are easily available has sig value less than 0.05 therefore we reject our null
hypothesis.
 Ready to eat meals are slightly more expensive than home cooking holds sig value greater than 0.05
therefore we do not reject the null hypothesis.

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RESULTS:

Analysing the findings, the results appears that the null hypothesis
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are
nutritious/healthy.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are
easily available.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods with a long
storage life.
Are rejected because they hold sig. value less than 0.05 this means that they have statistical
significant difference between variables, the independent variables effect the dependent
variable and there is a relationship between variables.

On the other hand, the null hypothesis that are not rejected;
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are
hygienic/clean.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not think ready-to-eat foods are good in taste.
Ho (Null Hypothesis): Consumers do not think ready-to-eat foods have a reasonable price.
We do not reject these because their sig. value is greater than 0.05 this means that there is no
statistical difference, relationship and effect between variables.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion to the above mentioned results, resulted by running multiple regression three of
our null hypothesis are rejected as they hold a significant difference and three of our null
hypothesis our retained as they do not hold significant difference.
The survey concludes that

24
  Consumers prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are nutritious/healthy.
 Consumers do prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods that are easily available.
 Consumers do prefer to purchase ready-to-eat foods with a long storage life.
Theses ready to eat meals though, are expensive then home cooking as responded by the unit
of analysis however, their price is not thought to be reasonable.
The demand for ready to eat food is increasing and the market of ready to eat food is
penetrating and expected to grow in near future.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations, if implemented, can prove to have a positive change on

perception of quality, convenience and price of the ready to eat meals thus, increasing its
purchase.
1. In order to shift the consumers perception towards the fact that ready to eat meals are
justified, companies can make them aware of the preservatives being used in the
meals and that these preservatives are harmless. This they can do through print and
social Medias.
2. Consumers should be properly made aware of the products storage life by writing it
clearly on the products packet/ wrapper, so that they do not consume the product
beyond that or are not doubtful as to till what period should it be used.
3. Ready to eat meals are less expensive as compared to home cooking as the consumers
need to buy just one single packet rather than all the ingredients which they require in
home cooking. This thought has to be transferred to the minds of the consumers
through advertisements, billboards or any other marketing mediums.
4. In order to attract more consumers towards having ready to eat meals more often,
companies can make the consumers aware of the benefits of ready to eat foods. They
can also compare the food with homemade meals informing the consumers that the
two are more or like the same, in fact ready to eat meals are more nutritious and
healthy than home cooked meals as the food is sterilized and cooked in a controlled
environment.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

The study had some limitations as well. There were things that we were not able to execute
as planned. The limitations are as follows:
 The size of our sample was 100 however, due to lack of contacts we were able to get
only 60 respondents fill out the survey form.
 We were not able to gather the responses fairly; therefore there were questions that
were casually filled due to the negligence of the respondents. Due to this only reason
we cannot generalize the appropriate results of our data. However, the tests are done

25
 at 95% confidence interval therefore, we can be 95% sure that the results we have got
as answers can be 95% generalized.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sundaram, N. (2012). A Study On Influencing Factors Impacting Consumers Food Choice With
Reference To Ready-to-eat Segment In Southern India, International Journal Of Research In
Commerce & Management, Volume No. 3 (2012), Issue No. 2 (FEBRUARY), ISSN 0976-2183
Bae, HJ., Chae, MI., & Ryu, K. (2010). Consumer behaviors towards ready-to-eat foods based on
food-related lifestyles in Korea, PMCID: PMC2933452
Siekierski, P., Ponchio, MC., & Strehlau, VI. (2013). Influence of Lifestyles Related To Ready-Meal
Consumption: Comparative Study between Sao Paulo & Rome, Review of Business Management,
PMCID: PMC2933452, ISSN 1806-4892

APPENDICES:

Questionnaire:

As part of our project we are conducting this research regarding perception of consumers towards
ready to eat food. Kindly fill this questionnaire.

Name ___________
Age:
[ ] 16-21
[ ] 22-30
[ ] 33-40
[ ] 40 above

Income:
[ ] 20,000 and below
[ ] 20,000-40,000
[ ] 40,000-60,000
[ ] 60,000 and above
Marital Status:
[ ] Single
[ ] Married
Family structure:
[ ] Joint
[ ] Separate
1. Who shops for groceries in your home?
[ ] Wife/Women [ ] Husband/Men [ ] Children [ ] Maid

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2. How often groceries are shopped?
[ ] Weekly [ ] Twice a month [ ] Once a month [ ] every 2 months
3. Who is responsible for cooking in your home?
[ ] You [ ] Maid [ ] others:
CONSUMPTION:
4. How often do you eat homemade food?
[ ] Everyday [ ] More than twice a week [ ] Twice a week [ ] Once a week [ ] Once a month
5. How often do you eat ready to eat meals?
[ ] Everyday [ ] More than twice a week [ ] Twice a week [ ] Once a week [ ] Once a month
6. What kind of ready to eat meals do you prefer?
[ ] Frozen [ ] Non-Frozen [ ] freshmen
QUALITY:
7. Ready to eat meals are nutritious/healthy.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
8. Ready to eat meals are prepared in a hygienic/clean environment.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
9. The ingredients used in ready to eat meals are fresh.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
10. Ready to eat meals are tastier than homemade meals.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
11. Ready to eat meals with long storage lives are good.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
CONVENIENCE:
12. Ready to eat meals are easily available.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
13. The instructions on how to prepare a ready to eat meal are easy to follow.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree
PRICE:
14. Ready to eat meals are slightly more expensive than home cooking.
[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree

15. The price charged for ready to eat meals is justified.

[ ] Strongly agree [ ] Agree [ ] Neutral [ ] Disagree [ ] strongly disagree

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16. How would you judge the quality of ready to eat meal? Rank all the factors in order of their
importance to you (1 being the most important and 6 being the least important)
[ ] Brand
[ ] Shelf life
[ ] Price
[ ] Taste
[ ] Hygiene
[ ] Freshness

17. What do you prefer for ready to eat meals?

[ ] Branded [ ] Non-branded
18. Which is your preferred brand in frozen Ready to eat meals? Rank in order of your preference (1
being the most preferred and 5 being the least preferred)
[ ] KnN’s
[ ] Menu
[ ] Mon Salwa
[ ] PK foods
[ ] Other (freshmen)

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