Purpose: There is a growing body of evidence that income indicators and racial compositions of urban neighborhoods mediate access to food stores and healthy foods. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were any differences in access (availability, quality and cost) to fruits and vegetables between two racially homogeneous regions, one considered low-income and the other middle-income, in the City of Atlanta, Georgia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study. A convenience sample of 56 food stores (convenience, grocery and supermarket) was assessed over a three-week period. The stores were surveyed using an instrument developed to capture availabilities of fresh items, the quality of these and the ability of the food stores to meet the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) 2006 fruit and vegetable categories for a reference family of four. Each category had constraints (variety and weights), and lowest-cost items were identified to meet these. Store to 10,000 population ratios and percent median income required to fulfill the TFP fruits and vegetables were calculated. Fisher’s Exact Tests and Chi Square were used to analyze categorical data. ANOVA analyses were used to determine differences in costs between the regions for the complete TFP fruit and vegetable basket and for price differences for each fruit and vegetable category among stores within each region. Results: The food store to 10,000 ratios were 5.8 and 3.7, respectively, for the low-income region and middle-income region. The low-income region grocery store ratio was 2.7, compared to 0.9 for the middle-income. Access to fresh items, quality of these and numbers of stores meeting each category and the complete TFP basket were not significantly different between the regions. The low-income region had a significantly greater number of stores that met whole fruits (p=0.03) and the variety constraint for other vegetables, which was four types (p=0.05). The TFP category weights were difficult to achieve with most categories in deficits. The majority of the lowest-cost items identified were canned fruits and vegetables. There were no significant differences between the regions for the costs of each category. The low-income region had a significantly greater number of stores charging more than the mean ($52.91±14.85) for the complete TFP fruit and vegetable basket (p=0.04). Store types and not income was the significant factor contributing to the price differences between the regions for the complete TFP basket. Within region analyses indicated significant price differences for several categories among the store types. Typically, convenience stores and/or grocery stores charged significantly more for certain categories than did supermarkets. Conclusion: There were few differences in overall availability, quality and category comparisons. The low-income region potentially pays more for the TFP 2006 fruits and vegetables for a family of four. Cost has been cited as a barrier to complying with healthy diets. More research needs to be undertaken to aid in policy development in consideration of healthy food cost implications for low-income families. Further education efforts are required to guide low-income families on how the TFP can be met optimally on a budget.

Food is of great importance to daily life. Food stores and supermarkets are the key places to get food for both the urban and rural populations. This study presents the accessibility of urban and rural food stores in Västerbotten County. A GIS-based analysis created service areas around the food stores using the road network in Västerbotten. These service areas were created for two different forms of transport, driving and public transport. The public transport service areas made us of the GTFS tool within ArcGIS pro. The population within and not within these service areas were counted as having access and not having access to the food stores in the time cost model. Compared to the urban population, the rural population has less access to the food stores in both the driving and public transport service areas. For both the urban and rural populations, accessibility with the car is higher than when taking public transport options.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3400.pdf: 2338832 bytes, checksum: 2817bce43bfaf663ddae8ddab3b2a75d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-24 / Nowadays, studies of consumer behavior are of great relevance. Understanding the factors that lead consumers to choose a particular product or brand over others makes marketers continually seek answers to the needs of these consumers. This work aims to study the buying behavior of consumers in the food retail market of Mato Grosso, as a way of subsidizing business strategies for the sector. It was attempted through the Sheth; Newman; Gross model to identify the variables that influence the purchase decision of consumers. The methodology was grounded on two pillars, bibliographic studies and survey. The sampling was based on the probabilistic technique stratified by population and profile of the buyer of food. There were applied 385 valid questionnaires and the data handling was performed using the statistical package SPAD. The multivariate analysis using clustering identified six distinct groups of consumers: clear, economical, convenient, hedonic, new buyers and demanding. The identification of these groups allows supermarkets to develop and implement different strategies according to the characteristics of their chosen target audience. / Os estudos sobre o comportamento do consumidor são de grande relevância nos dias atuais. Entender os fatores que levam o consumidor a escolher determinado produto ou marca em detrimento de outros faz com que os profissionais de marketing busquem incessantemente respostas para atender as necessidades destes consumidores. Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar o comportamento de compra do consumidor de alimentos no varejo supermercadista de Mato Grosso, como forma de subsidiar estratégias empresariais para o setor. Buscou-se através do modelo de Sheth; Newman; Gross identificar as variáveis que interferem na decisão de compra destes consumidores. A metodologia alicerçou-se em dois pilares, estudos bibliográficos e survey. A amostragem se baseou na técnica probabilística estratificada pela população e pelo perfil do comprador de alimentos. Foram aplicados 385 questionários válidos e o tratamento dos dados foi realizado através do pacote estatístico SPAD. A análise multivariada, através de agrupamento identificou seis grupos distintos de consumidores: esclarecidos, econômicos, convenientes, hedônicos, novos compradores e exigentes. A identificação destes grupos permite que os supermercados elaborem e apliquem estratégias diferenciadas segundo as características do seu público-alvo escolhido.

The fair trade is a concept that comes with better conditions for producers of the developing countries. It aims to improve their social, economic and environmental profile. If we want to describe fair trade market in South Bohemia Region, we have to deal with points of sale and customer's preferences. The growing phenomenon of the fair trade is also caused by many campaigns and projects supporting its philosophy.

The Russian food stores in the Czech Republic can be considered representations of the food practices for the Russian-speaking immigrant community. Despite the common notion that financial gain is a primary focus, I would like to argue that these food stores are the public spaces that link the immigrant's past and present surroundings and plays the role of the communicative bridge with their native's social network. The thesis studies the Russian food stores in Prague as a way of public space that is crucial for maintaining their cultural identity and presents as a medium during the cultural shock for the Russian-speaking immigrants represented by a common theme - nostalgia. By employing an ethnographic approach along with the discourse analysis, I attempt to demonstrate the ways of the mentioned public space being a part of the food practices for this community. The findings should contribute to the understanding of the processes and ways of assimilation in Russian-speaking immigrants, along with their national identification. Furthermore, the thesis opens a discussion regarding the accessible tools of cultural and social involvement of immigrants into the Czech community.