Consumers' views on food quality. A qualitative interview study.

The study investigated the themes consumers discuss when describing their everyday considerations about food quality. Twenty Copenhagen families with young children were interviewed open-endedly concerning daily food-related practices and thoughts, making particular use of narrative descriptions of specific meals. Respondents expressed both positive and negative opinions about a broad variety of processed and unprocessed foods. Positive opinions about food quality related mainly to personal criteria such as taste or convenience. Negative comments mainly related to how foods were processed or distributed. The study suggests that concerns about food safety are integrated in everyday concepts of food quality, and that consumers individually develop strategies to deal with this. However, feelings of uncertainty, helplessness and self reproach were frequently reported. The results suggest that choices of foods often reflect compromises in everyday life rather than the consumers' preferences.