Food Protection Trends - July/August 2022 - 294

different. Therefore, the chi-square tests of independence
were first used to determine the significance of differences
(P = 0.05) in the frequency of answers to each question
and then used to test bivariate relationships between the
education level, knowledge, and concerns regarding microbial
safety of perishable foods in FMs (P = 0.05).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Response rate and demographics
Of the 270 consumers who were given survey questionnaires
at six FMs in three states, 270 survey responses were
returned, for an overall response rate of 100%. The completion
rate for each individual item was 90.5 to 100%.
Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of the study
participants. Most were female (76.4%; P < 0.05). More than
80% of the participants had obtained at least some higher
education: 17.7% with an associate's degree, 31.6% with a
bachelor's degree, and 31.2% with a graduate degree. This
finding is likely related to the fact that four of the six FMs
were located near a university or college. More than 50% of
the participants were young, with 28.7% between 18 and 19
years old, and 26.6% were >60 years old. The distribution
of demographic characteristics in this study was very similar
to that for previous consumer surveys at FMs in New Jersey
(9), Arkansas (6), and Kentucky (12), in which 66 to 83% of
the participants at local FMs were female and the largest age
group was >60 years of age. As in the present study, Crandall
et al. (6) and Khouryieh et al. (12) also reported that 65 to
66% of the participants held bachelor's or graduate degrees,
suggesting that most consumers at FMs in college towns are
highly educated.
Purchase of perishable foods at FMs
Regarding the frequency of purchasing perishable foods,
including vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meats, at the six
FMs, most of the participants (83.7%) indicated that they
purchased perishable foods, and only 16.3% never did (P
< 0.05) (Table 2). Among the four major perishable foods
listed in Table 2, vegetables and fruits were more likely to
be purchased (P < 0.05) than were meat and dairy products;
34.7 and 24.3% of the participants purchased vegetables
and fruits, respectively, once per week, but only 5.2 and
7.3% purchasing meat and dairy products, respectively,
once per week, and 19.4 and 17.7% of the participants never
purchased meat and dairy products, respectively (Table 2).
These results are similar to those obtained in a previous
related consumer survey of FMs in Kentucky (12), in which
29 to 42% of the surveyed consumers purchased produce
(vegetables and fruits) once per week, whereas only 6.8 to
9.7% purchased meat and dairy products once per week, and
44 to 57% never shopped for meat and dairy products at local
FMs.
Factors impacting purchase of perishable foods at FMs
In this survey questionnaire, participants were asked to
select the importance of 10 major factors affecting their
purchase of locally grown or processed perishable foods
at FMs, with options of " not at all important, " " slightly to
TABLE 1. Demographics of survey participants (n = 237)
Frequency
%
Gender
Male
Female
Age (yr)
18-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
Education
No college degree
Associate degree
Bachelor's degree
Graduate degree
56
181
68
27
33
46
63
46
42
75
74
23.6
76.4
28.7
11.4
13.9
19.4
26.6
19.4
17.7
31.6
31.2
294 Food Protection Trends July/August
Food Protection Trends - July/August 2022

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