Consumer Behavior- Processed Ham Ham,

Consumer Behavior- Processed Ham

Ham, specifically processed ham, is the most common ingredient of a sandwich. This readily available and seemingly simple food, however, undergoes different processes before it conveniently reaches the refrigerated shelves of grocery stores, supermarkets, or even the local neighborhood's delicatessen. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), ham is commonly processed in three ways: by curing, dry curing, and brine (or 'wet') curing. All processes involve the application of salt to the ham, to be 'aged' for a year (in the case of dry curing) or less (regular or wet curing). Although the usual manner of curing is applying salt to the meat, chemicals such potassium nitrate, nitrites, and especially sodium ascorbate, are used to "accelerate" the ham curing process.

While there are numerous available resources on the different methods of processing ham, information on its distribution processes and systems are scarce. The most relevant source on the distribution system for the processed ham market is from the U.S. Department of Commerce, which looks into all distribution channels that the processed meat products go through in the said category. Based on this government document, processed ham comes from two sources: local suppliers and importers. Distribution of processed meat, which includes ham, is centralized because of the high demand from big grocery stores and leading supermarkets in different states in the country. However, while processed hams are supplied locally, there has been a marked change in the processed meat market, as importers began to emerge as one of the dominant players in this market. Importers have challenged the local suppliers' dominance in the processed meat market because of the former's cheaper price and competitive quality. Imported processed ham may enter the country as semi-processed ham; the curing process will be completed in the United States, and will be packaged and distributed by the distribution companies to wholesale and retail channels, such grocery stores and supermarkets. This is basically the general process illustrated in official documents on processed meat importation in the country, and specific process flow information, from ham processing to retail and wholesale distribution, are not readily available. It is possible that the difficulty in finding free and readily available sources is due to the competitive nature of the market, wherein vital information such as manufacturing processes and distribution channels are case sensitive, and generated and collated through rigorous market research methods. Thus, this case-sensitive information is available but for a particular price, and cannot be retrieved readily and free-of-charge.

Pilcher's discussion in the chapter, "Nouvelle cuisines," provides an interesting look into the history of food and cuisines from different parts of the world. From the author's analysis and historical narrative, it became apparent that food is also a commodity, not unlike manufactured objects or things sold and available commercially. Food is likened to a commodity because it is culture-specific and responsive to the economic state of societies at the time it became popular or highly patronized by the elite, the working class, and the peasants.

An interesting finding from Pilcher's investigation on the history of nouvelle cuisines is a detailed account of how popular food such as sushi and coffee became staples not only in Japan and Western countries, respectively, but also influenced the "landscape" that nouvelle cuisines currently dominate. Coffee and coffeehouses are examples of how a gastronomic product such as coffee became a 'commodity,' in the sense that it became a social habit that both elite and working classes cannot live without everyday (38). In the same vein, sushi became popular in Japanese society and throughout the world because of its economy, a staple food that working class people in the country preferred and patronized (40). Sushi, meanwhile, is a 'food product' that became popular because it satisfied the consumers' needs (gastronomic satisfaction) and was able to meet the economic capabilities of its largest group of patrons -- the working class.