[01] Adejo P. E., Dept. of Agricultural Economics & Extension, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria. [02] Mohammed I. A., Dept. of Agricultural Economics & Extension, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria. [03] Aliu F. S., Dept. of Agricultural Economics & Extension, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria.

Driven by increasing consumer demand for nutritious, healthier, safer, and more environmentally friendly food products, the consumption of snails has increasingly assumed significant position in recent years in Nigeria. It is against this backdrop that this study examined consumers’ preference for snail consumption in Kogi State Nigeria. The specific objectives were to examine the socio-economic characteristics of snail consumers, analyze the level of preference for snail meat to meats from other animal origin; find out the dietary forms of snail meat preferred by consumers; and determine the effects of socio-economic characteristics on consumers’ preference for snails. A total of 128 respondents were selected and administered questionnaire using a combination of both purposive and random sampling techniques. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics and binary Logit regression. Result shows that most (70.2%) of the respondents were in their youthful ages, majority (70.30%) were male who have attained one form of formal education or the other. It was indicated that majority (=2.3) highly preferred to consume snails and bush meat in their parboiled forms (38.3%). Results of the binary Logit regression shows that age and household size had negative effects, while marital status, sex, and income of the respondents had positive effects on preference for the consumption of snails to other animals. It is recommended that both public and private extension should create awareness and encourage domestication of snails by training farmers on how to rear snailsas low cost of snail meat and its high protein contents are of great dietetic/nutritional values to the people.

Snails, Consumption, Preference, Dietetic Forms

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