Food Acculturation: A Typology of Professional Expatriates
(A2025-126380)

AUTHORS

Raficka Hellal-Guendouzi, EM Strasbourg Business School, University of Strasbourg

ABSTRACT

This research focuses on food acculturation process of highly qualified professional expatriates and their families. Considering the multiple cultural influences that come into play in the process of food acculturation (host national and regional cultures and transnational cultures), it develops a typology of consumers. Our research highlights four expatriate profiles: (1) the “Conservatives”, (2) the “Expats in their bubble”, (3) the “Integrated-Explorers” and (4) the “Integrated-Nostalgics”. The profiles identified in our study provide for marketers a tool for segmentation of expatriates on acculturation criteria applied to the field of food purchases and consumption. The “Conservatives” and the “Expats in their bubble” deserve to be targeted differently from “Integrated-Explorers” and “Integrated-Nostalgic”.