Fast Food in Ghana’s Restaurants: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Relevance An Interdisciplinary Perspective Rose Omari i Thesis committee Promotors Prof. Dr J.S.C. Wiskerke Professor of Rural Sociology Wageningen University Prof. Dr G.T.P. Ruivenkamp Associate professor, Rural Sociology Group Wageningen University Extra-ordinary Professor in Humanisation of Technologies University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht Co-promotor Dr J.P. Jongerden Assistant professor, Rural Sociology Group Wageningen University Other members Prof. Dr M.A.J.S. van Boekel, Wageningen University Prof. Dr E.O. Sakyi-Dawson, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Dr D. Weenink, University of Amsterdam Dr F. Osseo-Asare, BETUMI: The African Culinary Network, USA This research was conducted under the auspices of the Wageningen School of Social Sciences. ii Fast Food in Ghana’s Restaurants: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Relevance An Interdisciplinary Perspective Rose Omari Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr M.J. Kropff, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Thursday 20 November 2014 at 11 a.m. in the Aula. iii Rose Omari Fast food in Ghana’s restaurants – Prevalence, characteristics, and relevance: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, 200 pages. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL (2014) With references, with summaries in Dutch and English ISBN 978-94-6257-258-4 iv Table of Contents Table of contents................................................................................................ v List of figures and tables.................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements............................................................................................ viii Abstract.............................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE: General Introduction 1 1.1 Definition of fast food.............................................................................. 3 1.2 Global prevalence of fast food................................................................. 4 1.3 Criticisms and development challenges associated with fast food.......... 5 1.4 Motivation for the study........................................................................... 7 1.5 Theoretical and conceptual framework.................................................... 9 1.6 Problem statement and research questions............................................... 16 1.7 Description and justification of study area............................................... 17 1.8 Methodological approach......................................................................... 19 1.9 Thesis outline........................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER TWO: Prevalence and characteristics of fast food in the Accra Metropolitan Area in Ghana 23 2.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 24 2.2 Food provisioning in urban Ghana (Accra Metropolitan Area)............... 25 2.3 Recontextualisation of fast food from global perspective........................ 26 2.4 Theoretical and analytical framework...................................................... 28 2.5 Methodology............................................................................................ 31 2.6 Findings and discussion........................................................................... 34 2.7 Conclusion................................................................................................ 50 CHAPTER THREE: The role of convenience as a social objective for fast- food consumption in the Accra Metropolitan Area of Ghana 55 3.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 56 3.2 Conceptual framework............................................................................. 57 3.3 Methods.................................................................................................. 59 3.4 Results...................................................................................................... 63 3.5 Discussion................................................................................................ 67 3.6 Conclusion................................................................................................ 70 CHAPTER FOUR: Fast food’s social identity: Content, contestation and influence on consumption 75 4.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 76 4.2 Analytical framework............................................................................... 79 4.3 Methodological approach......................................................................... 81 4.4 Findings and discussion........................................................................... 81 4.5 Conclusion................................................................................................ 88 CHAPTER FIVE: Predictors of loyalty and exit strategies as forms of responsible consumer behaviours in fast-food consumption in the Accra Metropolitan Area of Ghana 93 5.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 94 5.2 Theoretical and conceptual framework.................................................... 97 v 5.3 Methods.................................................................................................... 100 5.4 Results and discussion.............................................................................. 102 5.5 Conclusion................................................................................................ 113 CHAPTER SIX: General discussion and conclusion 117 6.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 118 6.2 Overview of the main findings................................................................. 119 6.3 Contribution to theory.............................................................................. 130 6.4 Implications for policy and practice......................................................... 132 6.5 Limitations and outlook for further research........................................... 136 6.6 Final remarks............................................................................................ 138 References ......................................................................................................... 139 Appendices......................................................................................................... 155 Summary ............................................................................................................ 157 Samenvatting ..................................................................................................... 161 Training and Supervision Plan........................................................................... 167 About the author................................................................................................. 168 List of figures and tables Figures Figure 1.1: The culinary triangle of contradictions....................................... 12 Figure 1.2: Map of Ghana showing the 10 Administrative Regions............ 18 Figure 1.3: Interrelationships of chapters..................................................... 22 Figure 2.1: Number of new restaurants established in the Greater Accra Region from 1975 to 2009 and number of restaurants classified as fast-food restaurants............................................... 38 Figure 2.2: Most popular fast-food consumer purchases.............................. 40 Figure 5.1: Conceptual framework showing adapted TPB model, with attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and awareness of negative consequences related to loyalty and exit 100 strategies..................................................................................... Tables Table 2.1: Street foods vended in Accra...................................................... 25 Table 2.2: Analytical framework for the characteristics of a cuisine.......... 31 Table 2.3: Characteristics of restaurant survey respondents....................... 36 Table 2.4: Characteristics of consumer survey respondents........................ 37 Table 2.5: Number of ‘foods generally recognised as fast food’ offered in restaurants.................................................................................. 40 Table 3.1: Factor analysis of perceived product convenience and convenience orientation measure in relation to fast-food 61 consumption in 400 respondents.............................................. vi Table 3.2: Detailed Characteristics of consumer survey respondents......... 64 Table 3.3: Spearman rank correlations of demographics characteristics, perceived product convenience, consumers’ inclination to save time and effort, and frequency of fast-food consumption.......... 65 Table 3.4: Logistic regression: predictors of fast-food intake..................... 66 Table 5.1: Correlations, means, standard deviation, internal consistency, Eigen value and variance explained for health responsible TPB model.................................................................................. 103 Table 5.2: Multivariate regression