Consumer preference in buying snack and beverage products made from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) and cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Southern Cebu, Philippines

Sweet potato and cassava are staple root crops in the Philippines and other tropical and subtropical regions. These crops, like other root crops, are considered survival crops. Processing these root crops into different snacks is another way to enhance their commercial value. However, consumer acceptability and preference must be considered to ensure the marketability of new food products developed. This study aimed to assess the consumer’s preference for sweet potato and cassava-based snack and beverage products and developed a strategy to effectively market the products, in Southern Cebu. A 5-point Likert scale survey instrument was used to determine the consumers’ preference (n = 210) in buying root crops derivative products. Results showed that the most preferred products are sweet potato chips (47.02±0.02%), sweet potato juice (45.75±0.02%), and cassava chips (37.20±0.03%). In addition, flavor is the most desired quality and the first thing the consumers consider. Aside from the flavor, consumers also preferred snack and beverage products that are cheap. Based on the stepwise regression, the increasing influence of price, in both sweet potato and cassava snack products, showed a negative effect, with a coefficient (β) -0.155 (CI: -0.015, -0.005) and -0.095 (CI: -0.012, -0.001) respectively. In contrast, increasing the influence of the product quality was found to have an enhancing effect on consumers’ buying preference for sweet potato beverage products, with a coefficient (β) 0.091 (CI: 0.002, 0.080). Therefore, strategies must be centered on these attributes to effectively market the snack and beverage products developed from sweet potato and cassava.