Plain language summary
The food market is changing dynamically. New food production technologies are emerging, especially those with high and enriched nutritional value and functional food. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the frequency, reasons, and barriers against buying organic food by residents of the Visegrád Group member states. Results indicate that: - the Poles and Hungarians buy organic food very often, whereas the largest percentages of Slovaks and Czechs do so rarely. - the most important reasons for choosing organic food in all V4 countries were the absence of genetically modified organisms, chemicals and preservatives. - high prices is the main barrier limiting the purchase of organic food. - the differences in the consumption of organic products in individual V4 countries may result from the actual differentiation or different interpretations of the definition of organic products and confusion with home and locally produced food. Authors conclude that to fully utilize the potential of the organic farming sector and organic aquaculture and to ensure their sustainable development, it is necessary to define the goals and activities to be implemented by the Minister of Agriculture in individual countries to produce organic food together with its promotion.
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the differences in the frequency of, reasons for, and barriers to purchasing organic food among the inhabitants of the Visegrád Group member states. The selection of the countries for the study was dictated by the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe play the role of a niche market in the European organic food market. This research employed the method of a diagnostic survey and the discriminant function. A chi-squared test, ANOVA, and Fisher's Post Hoc LSD test were also used to present differences in individual groups. This research shows that respondents from Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia were guided by similar behaviors regarding the purchase of organic food. However, the attitudes of the respondents slightly differed between countries. In the case of the reasons for choosing organic food, the most important thing was that it is non-genetically modified food, especially for Polish consumers. The following were also mentioned: lack of chemical compounds (Slovaks and Czechs), high health value of such food (Czechs and Slovaks), and excellent taste (Hungarians). The most critical barriers against purchasing are the price (Poles and Hungarians), difficult access (Poles and Hungarians), and the short expiry time of such products (Slovaks).
Methodological quality
Jadad score
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Not applicable
Allocation concealment
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Not applicable
