Use of Caswell’s classification on food quality attributes to assess consumer perceptions towards fresh milk in tetra-packed containers

This study assesses, using the Caswell’s classification on food quality attributes (1998), what quality attributes that consumers consider most important in their decision to purchase fresh milk stored in tetra-pack containers, and the impact of a number of socio-economic characteristics of consumers on this behavior. A consumer survey was carried out (n=664) in the Gampaha district from April to May in 2005, and data pertaining to 100 who consume it with the highest frequency (i.e. 3.43 packs/week) were considered for the empirical analysis. The results based on two indices, namely the “Mean Score of Quality Attribute” (MSQA) and the “Food Quality Responsive Index” (FQRI) suggest that attributes such as purity, appearance, size, convenience, and informational labeling from “value” and “package” subsets were the most important. It also shows that consumers did not judge that tetra-packs enhance attributed included in the “food safety” and “nutrition” subsets to a larger extent. The statistic outcome based on Ordered Logistic regression techniques, where the values of FQRI were used to develop four dependent variables, shows that factors such as age, marital status, sex, and level of education and income of a consumer have a significant impact on this behavior. The results suggest that the market can work effectively on promoting the sales of fresh milk by enhancing its quality in terms of value and packaging attributes, while the government should take into account of regulating the attributes of food safety and nutrition through appropriate food standards.