OPINIONS AND ATTITUDES OF CONSUMERS RELATED TO THE PURCHASE OF POTATOES AND REPERCUSSION ON THE OFFER OF FRENCH CULTIVARS

ABSTRACT

The present work aimed to evaluate opinions and attitudes of consumers during purchase of potatoes, and analyze the availability of French cultivars. By means of focus groups, it was observed that the purchase of potatoes was affected by factors related to the potatoes themselves, such as size and shape, and environmental determinants. Decision making was based on previous experiences and cultural codes already established. Despite the importance of seals of quality, there was no significant indication that potato quality played a more important role than cultural patterns. It was concluded that even when offering specials on high quality cultivars, such as the French cultivar, special offers should be preceded by educational activities to establish cultural codes for purchase of potatoes.