Households' Preference and Utilization for Selected Spices in Ibadan Metropolis in Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed households' preference and utilization for selected spices in Ibadan metropolis in Oyo state of Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 150 respondents using structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, likert scale and linear regression. Result showed that most of the respondents (80.67%) were females while majority were within the age range 26 and 40 with mean household size of 4 persons. A substantial proportion of the respondents (40%) consumed spices because of its taste. Onion was the most preferred spice in terms of taste, small chilli pepper was the most preferred in terms of market price and locust bean was the most preferred in terms of flavour. The likert scale revealed that onions were consumed more regularly than other selected spices. The result of the linear regression indicated that income, expenditure on food, gender, education and reason for consumption of spices have a positive significant relationship with consumption of spices. Based on the findings, it is recommended that nutrition policy in Nigeria should lay more emphasis on increasing consumers' awareness of the health benefits of the selected spices to encourage their consumption.

Keywords: Households, Preference, Utilization, Spices, Regression