Wheat or cassava flour? Marketing and willingness to pay for cassava flour confectionery in Nigeria

Food systems and diets are constantly evolving, and the contributing factors are complex and have remained controversial among researchers. While studies have considered and compared utilization of wheat flour and High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) in confectioneries, no study has assessed willingness to purchase confectionery made from cassava flour in relation to the global supply disruption emanating from the Russia-Ukraine war, leading to high demand and pressure on wheat flour. This study examined consumers' perception of cassava flour confectionery and estimated contributing factors. A cross-sectional survey and multi-stage random sampling technique were employed to select 120 respondents from Abia State, Nigeria, while the Researchers analyzed the data with descriptive and regression statistics. Findings show that taste, awareness, odour, and availability of confectionery with cassava flour inclusion shaped consumers' perceptions. The majority of the samples from our study believe that the taste and odour (aroma) of the product must be tweaked to suit global best practices, as well as the need to make the product readily available at strategic location and at the right price to reflect the prevailing income and economic realities in Nigeria. Therefore, these factors can be improved and used to build a positioning and brand strategy.