A Study on Consumer Consumption Patterns and Preferences for Commercial Juk (Porridge)

This study examined the actual consumption status and consumer preference for juk via questionnaire survey to provide useful basic data for the development of diversified commercial juk products. The survey data were collected from a target number of 450 participants living in the Seoul area. The subjects represented different age groups (over 20 years old) and both genders. Through a market survey based on five different retailers, which included juk-specialty stores, supermarkets, and local shopping marts, 17 kinds of commercial juk were chosen for the survey. Consumption frequency and purchasing factors were examined, along with preferences toward commercial juk products and areas for quality improvement. The results revealed that 54.0% of the respondents consumed commercial juk, and male consumers exceeded female consumers in number. It was also shown that those in their $20^{\circ}{\O}s$ consumed commercial juk products the least as compared to other age groups. With regard to commercial juk preferences by type of production mode, females especially preferred specialty store juk while males preferred retort juk sold in supermarkets or local shopping marts. In addition, 85.7% of the total respondents indicated that commercial juk should be further improved in quality, and they specifically noted possible improvements in the areas of 'choice diversification' and 'healthy juk' products. Therefore, one can conclude that by making such improvements, increase in consumption and further diversification of commercial juk products could be realized.