-less substitute over another. Since the product is in the growth stage, previous exposure to advertising campaigns sway consumer preference of one brand over the next. The appeal of the brand names and packaging will also effect which product is purchased over the other. Price is also a factor which drives the decision making process. Once the consumer commits to the purchase of a meatless product, they will compare pricing between the comparable products at the grocery store. Nutritional benefits are key factors as well. This type of consumer is generally well informed and will base a purchase decision on the nutritional content of one product over another.
             Traditionally, this market could be broken down into a relatively homogenous group of consumers, but this trend is changing. The typical age of meat-substitute buyer is from the twenties and up. Thus, the market is rather large. These consumers traditionally have lived on the West Coast, but this tendency is changing. Currently, the Northeast is responsible for the majority of sales (28%), followed by the Southeast (23%), Northwest (21%), Midwest (13%), Southeast (11%) and Canada (4%) (Edgar On-line, 1997).
             Prior to 1990's, consumers of meatless products were repetitive, heavy user of the meatless substitutes, but this consumer trend is shifting. A significant amount of the target market consumes meat-free meals at least occasionally. A 1991 poll conducted by Land O' Lakes corporation reported more than 50% of the households in the nation eat two or more meat-less dinners a week, and 20 percent eat four or more meat-free meals a week (Daily Herald, 1997).
             In 1998, Gardenburger captured close to 80% of the 50 million dollars in annual growth in the veggie burger segment (Gardenburger, 1998). This indicates that their product line is gaining more market share than their competition. In 1998, Gardenburger's market share in the retail grocery category totaled 55...