Consumers’ Perception and Purchase Behavior on Soy Sauce in the Northern Parts of Taiwan

In Taiwan, soy sauce is the important seasoning to daily life. General speaking, Taiwan soy sauce is classified by using different ingredients-Black soybean and Soybean with wheat, and varied producing methods-Natural brewing, Chemical (proteolysis), and Intermixed. Natural brewing Soy Sauce is naturally brewed and aged by ferment. A ferment to decompose vegetable protein from soybean; for 4-6 months producing time, we get the best material result in terms of aroma and nutrition. Chemical Soy Sauce is using hydrochloric acid to decompose protein from soybean and using alkali to neutralize, then adding artificial food color and flavor agent in. It is made in just 3-5 days. The kind of Soy Sauce is having worse taste and nose-irritated smell and too much amino-nitrogen as well, the 3-MCPD (3-monochloro-1, 2-propandiol) contained was proved as the harm of health. Intermixed Soy Sauce is combining amino-acid with naturally brewed soy sauce to enhance the components and to reduce the cost, but it''s not yet able to reach the top level as naturally brewed soy sauce does. However, it is the main stream of selling in the market. Due to food safety problems occurred in recent years, consumers’ awareness of food safety has been increased. It makes consumers more aggressive on choosing tasty and safe food products. Consumers are also aware of they have right to know about food products; they have right to know how the food products made and where the food products from. Thus, the only way that soy sauce manufacturers can go is producing products more upstanding and transparent, which will upgrade soy sauce industry as well. As Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan city has taken 37% of Taiwan total population, it becomes the major maket of Taiwan; this thesis study sites for these three cities. In the result of this study, compare to few years ago, the consumers are more clearly show their concern on soy sauce ingredients. Not only care about the raw material of soy sauce, also its production method. The situation is a gain to both consumers and soy sauce manufacturers after experiencing Taiwan food safety problems these years. Moreover, the average monthly income of these three cities is higher than others, the consumers are more capable in purchasing better quality and more expensive naturally brewed soy sauce. Since the market demand changed, the soy sauce manufacturers are encouraged, price-oriented won’t be the only target of manufacturing, inferior products will no longer existed in the market; this brings a mutual trust and survival to consumers and the manufacturers.