Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as Stevia, is an ancient sweet herb native to Paraguay. The plant, especially the leaves, has a sweetening effect 300 times sweeter than saccharose. Malaysia has taken a particular interest in promotion of Stevia derivatives as a precautionary measure to com...

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Main Authors: Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty, Jamal, Kasazlinda, Vijayan, Gowri, Ab. Jalil, Siti Munirah
Format: Article
Published: Routledge 2014
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36022/
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author Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty
Jamal, Kasazlinda
Vijayan, Gowri
Ab. Jalil, Siti Munirah
author_facet Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty
Jamal, Kasazlinda
Vijayan, Gowri
Ab. Jalil, Siti Munirah
author_sort Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as Stevia, is an ancient sweet herb native to Paraguay. The plant, especially the leaves, has a sweetening effect 300 times sweeter than saccharose. Malaysia has taken a particular interest in promotion of Stevia derivatives as a precautionary measure to combat chronic diseases. This study aims to investigate factors that influence the acceptance of Stevia-based products by consumers. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire with 900 consumers from Klang Valley areas. The results revealed that most of the respondents were willing to use Stevia-based products as a substitute for sugar. There was also a significant relationship between level of education and consumer’s willingness to change for Stevia-based products. Health benefits, promotion, availability, and price were found to be the most influential factors toward acceptance of Stevia-based products by consumers. An effective promotion is necessary to increase consumer’s awareness toward a more healthy diet.
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publishDate 2014
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spelling upm-360222016-02-15T01:21:57Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36022/ Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty Jamal, Kasazlinda Vijayan, Gowri Ab. Jalil, Siti Munirah Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as Stevia, is an ancient sweet herb native to Paraguay. The plant, especially the leaves, has a sweetening effect 300 times sweeter than saccharose. Malaysia has taken a particular interest in promotion of Stevia derivatives as a precautionary measure to combat chronic diseases. This study aims to investigate factors that influence the acceptance of Stevia-based products by consumers. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire with 900 consumers from Klang Valley areas. The results revealed that most of the respondents were willing to use Stevia-based products as a substitute for sugar. There was also a significant relationship between level of education and consumer’s willingness to change for Stevia-based products. Health benefits, promotion, availability, and price were found to be the most influential factors toward acceptance of Stevia-based products by consumers. An effective promotion is necessary to increase consumer’s awareness toward a more healthy diet. Routledge 2014 Article PeerReviewed Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty and Jamal, Kasazlinda and Vijayan, Gowri and Ab. Jalil, Siti Munirah (2014) Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 20 (suppl. 1). pp. 122-139. ISSN 1045-4446; ESSN: 1540-4102 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10454446.2014.921877 10.1080/10454446.2014.921877
spellingShingle Kamarulzaman, Nitty Hirawaty
Jamal, Kasazlinda
Vijayan, Gowri
Ab. Jalil, Siti Munirah
Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
title Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
title_full Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
title_fullStr Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
title_full_unstemmed Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
title_short Will consumers purchase Stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
title_sort will consumers purchase stevia as a sugar substitute?: an exploratory study on consumer acceptance
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36022/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36022/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36022/