Research Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the pickle purchase status and selection attributes, to predict the utility of the relative importance and attribute level for each pickle attribute through conjoint analysis, and to find the optimal attribute of the pickle. The subjects of this study were dietitians and nutrition teachers in the Jeonbuk area.
This study aimed to provide data for both developments of pickles that can satisfy school dietitians and nutrition teachers and the provision of meals that can satisfy students more. In this study, pickle selection attributes and level by attributes were selected for dietitians and nutrition teachers working at schools in the Jeonbuk area through Focus Group Interview (FGI). This study then surveyed 220 dietitians and nutrition teachers working at schools in the the Jeonbuk area region. The questions in the questionnaire were about general characteristics, consideration for the menu creation, pickle purchase status, reasons for using pickle, and ways to improve pickle. Data were analyzed through χ2-test, independent t-test, cluster analysis, and conjoint analysis methods using SPSS 26.0 version.
Research Results: The following presents the analysis results. The score for ‘HACCP certification’ among points to consider in menu preparation was 4.63 points in elementary schools and 4.43 points in middle & high schools, which was statistically significantly higher in elementary schools (p<0.05). The scores for ‘production date and shelf life’ were 4.52 points in elementary schools and 4.19 points in middle & high schools, which were statistically significantly higher in elementary schools (p<0.01). The score for ‘nutritional content’ was 4.22 points in elementary schools and 3.97 points in middle & high schools, which was statistically significantly higher in elementary schools (p<0.05). The score for ‘maker’ was 3.89 points in elementary schools and 3.59 points in middle & high schools, which were statistically significantly higher in elementary schools (p<0.05). The scores for ‘parents and teachers opinions’ were 3.75 points in elementary schools and 3.35 points in middle and high schools, which were statistically high in elementary schools (p<0.01).
Regarding the actual purchase of pickles, among the frequency of serving pickles, ‘once a month’ (63.6%) was the most common response in all school types. Regarding an auxiliary ingredient for pickle served, the most common answer was ‘vinegar’ (54.1%) in all school types; there was no statistically significant difference per school type. The most common response to the place to get pickle-related information was ‘public relations nutritionist’s marketing’ and there was a statistically significant difference by school type: 58.3% in elementary schools and 66.7% in middle and high schools (p<0.05). The main ingredient for pickles was ‘radish’ (79.5%), and the reason for purchase pickles was ‘simple to make’ with an average score of 4.23, and there was no statistically significant difference between school types. ‘great student preference’ scored 2.70, which was the lowest score; there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between school types: elementary schools scored 2.80 points; middle & high schools scored 2.4 points.
Among the ways to improve pickles, the most common answer was ‘sodium reduction’(43.2%), and there was no statistically significant difference by school type for this question. Regarding the serving frequency after improvement, the most common answer was ‘1-2 times a week’; there was no statistically significant difference.
This study employed FGI to infer four attributes of pickle products: taste (not salty or not sweet, not artificial seasoning flavors, material-specific texture); the country of origin of the main material (local or foreign); packaging containers (vinyl, can, plastic), HACCP certification (certified, not certified). The order regarding the relative importance of pickle preferred by respondents is as follows (descending): ‘origin’ (32.49%), ‘HACCP certification’ (32.21%), ‘taste’ (22.20%), and ‘type of packaging’ (14.10%).
The utility value and optimal attribute combination of pickle attribute level showed a utility combination value of 107.241 in taste (not salty not sweet), place of origin (local), packaging container type (plastic), and HACCP certification (certified). The optimal market share of pickle products for school dietitians and nutrition teachers was as follows: maximum utility model 93.6%, BTL model 82.7%, Logit model 91.5%. As a result of cluster analysis using K-means clustering, in cluster 1, domestic origin (1.96) showed the highest preference, and in cluster 2, HACCP certification (2.20) showed the highest preference.
Conclusion: When preparing the menu, dietitians and nutrition teachers at schools in the Jeonbuk area considered taste, origin, student preference, and HACCP certification. Vinegar pickle using radish was mainly served, and the most common answer about the serving frequency of pickle was ''once a month''. One way to improve pickle products was to reduce sodium. As a result of the conjoint analysis, dietitians and nutrition teachers at schools in the Jeonbuk area were not salty nor sweet; domestic product; plastic container; HACCP certified was found to be the most preferred: these are factors to consider when formulating a marketing strategy.