Acculturation and Consumption: Examining the Consumption Behavior of People of Afro-Caribbean Descent in Canada

by Bamidele Adekunle, Glen Filson, Sridharan Sethuratnam, and Dario Cidro

http://dx.doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2011.021.001, pp. 1–17

Abstract

This paper examines the consumption of ethnocultural vegetables by people of Afro-Caribbean descent in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Canada while considering their acculturation level. The results indicate that the respondents are willing to substitute other closely related varieties for their ethnic vegetables when they are scarce. The acculturation scale also indicates that these Canadians assimilate and accept the values of other ethnic groups while they retain their own identity. As consumption of ethnocultural vegetables is part of their identity, among GTA Afro-Caribbean Canadians there is a very large unmet demand for ethnocultural vegetables, which is likely to be true throughout the country.

Keywords: acculturation, Afro-Caribbean, consumption, ethnocultural vegetables, Greater Toronto Area