Culture change and the consumption of basic foods : the case of Lebanese-Canadians

This paper is concerned with the relationship between culture change and the consumption of basic foods. The literature dealing with acculturation, ethnic identification, and consumption is reviewed and focused on an ethnic group neglected in the consumer research literature: the Lebapese-Canadians. Hypotheses regarding the relative power of acculturation and ethnic identity as two separate yet correlated constructs that predict a variation in the consumption frequencies of various basic food items are drawn and a multidimensional culture change model is built. A survey using a convenience sample of Lebanese-Canadians residing in the Montreal Metropolitan Area is analysed. The results reveal that acculturation and ethnic identification are multidimensional constructs which have some impact on ethnic majority and ethnic minority basic foods, respectively. In addition, evidence is found that Lebanese-Canadian respondents reside in at least a two-culture world. Several consumer lifestyle factors also emerge from the data analysis with differing relationships with culture change. Finally, implications for marketers are discussed along with limitations and directions for future research