STUDY OF CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS AND PREFERENCES: CONSUMPTION CASE STUDY OF FISH AND SHELLFISH IN MEXICALI, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

Abstract

Background: The agri-food sector, which includes fishing and aquaculture, poses challenges in improving the food quality and restructure markets. Currently, we have the opportunity to understand the food crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and to promote a paradigm shift in food and markets, which leads to the changes generation in the food economic system, transformation of markets and rapprochement of producers with consumers. One of the ways to bring the producer and the consumer closer to each other, is precisely to know and characterize their consumption, by conducting market studies. A market study is a systematic investigation based on the information collection and data analysis related to the outstanding characteristics of the market to which a company or a sector is directed, which allows us to know and characterize the tastes and preferences in the population consumption. Objective: To diagnose the perceptions and preferences on the fish and shellfish consumption in the Mexicali city, Baja California, Mexico. Methodology: To get the required information, surveys were applied at four points in Mexicali. The study was carried out with cluster analysis using the statistical package for social sciences. It was obtained that three clusters were separated from each other and are statistically different (98.5% of the analyzed data). Results: The first conglomerate comprises 61.77% of those surveyed, while the second 27.94% and the remaining 10.29% were in the third conglomerate. Cluster 2 represents the population that consumes the most fish and shellfish, followed by cluster 1 and those of cluster 3, which consumes less fish and/or shellfish. In order of importance, the most relevant variables to explain on the three clusters are: differences between fishery products vs aquaculture, presentation of consumption and date of acquisition. Implications: This study provides a baseline for future market research in Baja California where trends in consumer buying behavior are analyzed, as well as contributing to the recognition of problems, identification of opportunities and improvement in decision-making by consumers, aquaculture producers and fishermen (or fishing sector). Conclusions: The results show that there is a lack of knowledge in the population on fishery and aquaculture products. Therefore, there is a tremendous area of opportunity to publicize information about the fishery and aquaculture products in the different media communication. Especially to their nutritional and health benefits.