Status/Prestige properties
While status and prestige properties of foods can influence food choice
process, these are not important for everyone. Usually there is a correlation
with income (Fischer, 2005) in the sense that higher income consumers
have a stronger preference over these product characteristics. In general
consumers’ interest in premium products is being spurred by rising incomes.
The consumption of champagne or caviar, origin specific foods and ethnic
foods, food away from home and especially dining out in expensive restaurants
can all be seen as carriers of status and prestige characteristics that people want
to acquire by food consumption. For manufacturers, consumers’ growing desire
for status and prestige means concentrating on new product development
and marketing the luxurious aspects of products. Even not so affluent people
may try to put value on the content of a meal by formalizing its preparation
and consumption procedure (e.g. a typical dinner in some Greek families).