Food culture distance as a predictor of foreign market selection: the case of Swedish food exporters

The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of dissimilarity in food culture, “food culture distance,” as a predictor of foreign market selection by food exporters. The sample for this study consisted of 96 export ventures by Swedish food companies in 27 international markets. A composite index of the construct food culture distance was calculated and used as a predictor of foreign market attractiveness for food exporters. The findings indicate that food culture distance does positively impact the attractiveness of a foreign market for food exporters, implying that the greater the perceived distance in terms of food culture, the more attractive is the market for food exporters to enter.