Abstract:
Though research shows that pro i. ion of nutririon informa tion on menus increases the
number 01 pcople \\ ho use it to cl 'ct healthier mea l choices. the effect of healti1 fo oe!
products on growt h of the h alth food market is not known. Research also shows that bealth
eaLing is about fat end energy content of fo d. he re is, however. e idence that health rood
market trends have long shift d from fat and energy lev Is in food to other components Ihal
ar hased on cu:-wmers' ideas of what constitut es hea lth earing. TI1is srudy sough! to
in\'cstigate heald l food produ cts a il t oj fl [ growing th market amo ng restaurant . The
study adopt ed a cro , eClioJlal analytical design wl!u~e sample wa~ drawn u:-.i ng r allllofJl and
purpo ivc sampli ng procedures for restaw-an ts, head. of department alld targeted customers.
Ot t of thc L47 healrh food restaurants in airobi City County , 74 wcre randomly ~a.tnpled
and included ill the study. Re pondents for the study entailed 296 heads of department and
382 customers yiclding a total of 6 8 resp onden s. Data was cull ct cl using structured
questionna ires anti observation checkli (S . The coneeted data was screened an d analysed by
irequencles. perce ntages. correlation, cross tabu atlOn. chi-square and multiple logistical
regression. Data was presented by u se of tables. graphs anti prose explanations. W hereas 678
ljll s[ionnai res were administe red to respondents. a respon,: e rate of 97c
k was achieved,
accounting for (15 7 respondents. On the othe r hand. observation checklists that 74 health food
product reo(aurants had 84o/r rc:spon se rate (6 2 health food product restaurants). Results of the
study I'll w that the products on orfer perceived by restaurant cu to mers as health were:
traditional foods, III di cinaL products cooked using health cooking methods (59%);
vege tarian food products (19. 2%): gluten free products ( 12.2%) and sea food (9.6%). The
tu dy eSLablished that a sign ificant relationship existed beLwee n health food products on offer
jn restaurants in N airobi City and customer needs (a Pearson carrel ati on r value of -0 093 , a
regression p valu =OOOL Li near logistic r value of 0.000 and X2. 0.443; a= 0.05 ). actors
tha t signi ficantly in fluenced custom r needs for h alth food products were: desire to lead a
hea lth hfestyle. family culture ; medical prescription: media, school and book ' (con-el ation p
'JlLlc of 0.001 ; o. = 0.( 5) Variables uf the . LUd y lhat were fOLlnd to be significant in growth
If the he alth food product market were : capacity- menus (p =00(0), equipmetlt (p = OOOU ),
rr duct quality (p == 0.000), raw ma terials (p = 0.01 3) and trained -taft' (p = 0.05); cllsromcr
,.Itisfaction- salisfied (p =0.(00). dis.-atisfied (p = 0.00 1). cmd vel') d issatisfied (p = 0.000).
Oln r va riab l ~ [hat were significant iT marke t growth we re : loyal ty- non loyallY (p =0.0(0)
,mJ minimal 10 'aity (p = 0.( 15); intcrv lu ng factors-meeling frien Is (p == 0.(02) and
l.Ul1\enience of restau ra nt locati on (p =0.000); ma rket re::;pon'ie: amI 'orlo-economic fac tors
-(1r HOD and cm:tomers. The sLudy further fou nd th at marke t growth depended on the
'1e~llt hy tood products on offer. It was. however, e stablished [ha t only 3.5 '70 (R:' = 0.035) of
rlJrk l growth of the sampled restauranb could be accounted for by the health food product.s
, lrfer. Tn order to significantly grow the hea.l th food market in reslauranb, there is need to
I -.:rease the number of res aurants that offer he althy food products as well as restaurant
.: _pa 'ity (inte nsify training of staff in health food and ss i t restaurants to source for
_~[ ro li ate equipment) to offer this cadre of products. The study further concluded that
_..11th f) d products 011 offe r in rc taurants in tl is ru l1~t category shoul cl cnt. it traditional.
l~dkl L rroduc(s co k'd lIsillg he( Ith coo ing me thods, v get. rian, glute n i'ree and sea
pr1 1duct.- tLlne vari tIes (l , lOw~ er. be pnJ vld tl hased 011 lli P r 'ei ve r! cus!omer