ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARD NEW FRIED FOOD PREPARED FROM COWPEA FLOUR

American consumers are exposed to thousands of new food products on supermarket shelves each year. For new products, such as akara products, it is crucial to determine consumer preferences and buying intentions. In this study, 346 randomly selected consumers were surveyed to reveal their preference for five akara products prepared from cowpea flour. Preference data were analyzed through use of a multi-ordered response model. Model results indicate that socio-demographic factors were weakly linked to explaining consumer preferences while product characteristics were much more important in preference considerations