The impact of sweetness and saltiness preference on dietary diversity: Panel data analysis of households in South Korea

This study explores the relationship between consumers' taste preferences—specifically sweetness and saltiness—and dietary diversity. This study utilizes consumer panel data collected by the Rural Development Administration of South Korea, in combination with a food nutrient database. The study applies long-term purchase data to derive indices of dietary diversity and taste preferences. The objective is to examine the impact of sweetness and saltiness preferences, as a consumer attitude, on dietary diversity as a consumption behavior. The findings suggest that consumer preference for sweet and salty tastes significantly contributes to dietary diversity, while preference for sweetness has a negative impact and preference for saltiness has a positive impact on dietary diversity.

Practical Applications

The utilization of long-term consumer panel data for the calculation of household-level dietary diversity, as an alternative to short-term memory recall surveys, offers a more comprehensive and data-driven approach to the measurement of dietary diversity. Furthermore, an integration of nutrient content with purchased items to quantify consumers' sweet and salty taste preferences and a measurement of preference based on nutrient intake can be employed as a more objective approach to assessing taste preferences.

The results indicate that consumption behavior, specifically dietary diversity, is significantly influenced by sweet and salty taste preferences. Consumers who prefer sweetness are expected to exhibit lower dietary diversity, contributing to the association between sweetness preference and poorer health outcomes. In particular, as sweetness preference is a learned behavior, it is necessary to recognize that frequent exposure to sweetness fosters its preference and that this, in turn, negatively impacts dietary diversity. Therefore, individuals aiming for a higher level of dietary diversity should actively reduce their exposure to sweetness.