UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOURS TOWARDS PUBLIC MARKETS AND GROCERY STORES IN TACLOBAN CITY, PHILIPPINES

The Philippine government encourages consumers to buy locally produced foods to promote growth and sustainable agriculture. This will provide further economic, environmental and social benefits to farmers and local areas, leading to more sustainable patterns of consumption. This qualitative research looks at the views and behaviour of consumers in Tacloban City towards buying foods from public and private supermarkets, focusing on the barriers that prevent greater uptake local produce. Two separate focus groups (N=28) were conducted. Content analysis identified five relevant themes in relation to buying foods from public supermarket and private grocery stores. These were lifestyle, cost, food quality, food choices and environment. Participants reported buying their foods and food products mostly from the local public supermarket with the cost, food quality and food choices as factors influencing them to do so. The main barriers preventing participants from buying from local public supermarkets are the dirty environment and inconvenience. The results of the study are useful in developing future strategies for encouraging people to buy more from the local public supermarkets increasing consumption of local produce.