Factors Influencing Consumers’ Preference for Purchasing of Ready to Eat Food Products: A Study in Shahr – e-Now of Kabul City

Ready to eat products are any products that have gone through chemical, mechanical or physical processing in the processing industries or at home and which has been altered from their natural state to a new state. These products include frozen, pasteurized, fried, condensed, dried, dehydrated, canned and homogenized food. The food processing industry has an important role in linking the farmers to the final consumers in the domestic and international markets. The consumer preference for ready to eat products at Shahr-e- Now of Kabul city is influenced by physiological, psychological and sociological factors. The present study attempted to analyze the factors influencing the purchase of ready to eat products from Shahr-e- Now of Kabul city markets; the primary data was collected from 90 consumers in Shahr -e- Now of Kabul city. The study revealed that 47.78 per cent of the respondents preferred ready to eat products. Nearly one-third of the consumers purchase ready-to-eat products once a week. Easy availability, taste, convenience, and quality were the main factors influencing consumers' purchase of ready-to-eat products in Shahr -e- Now of Kabul city markets. The study clearly indicated that there is a wide scope for food processing industries in Kabul city since consumers’ preference for ready to eat products is increasing. Hence the study clearly reveals that manufacturers need to ensure that their products meet the requirements of consumers in terms of meeting the requirements of easy availability, taste, quality and convenience in the usage of ready to eat products.