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Examining of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among the Hungarian Consumers
79-89Views:583The importance of fruit and vegetable consumption is emphasized by promotions, recommendations, and domestic and foreign researches. According to the results of Hungarian research, consumers with high education and high income are the fastest to commit to a healthy lifestyle (of which regular consumption of fruit and vegetables is an integral part). The present study examines fruit and vegetable consumption through focus group interviews examining two distinct segments; full-time undergraduate students as well as full-time adults. The reason for choosing the two segments was based on the literature, according to which lifestyle research shows that the supportive family financial background of students helps to make this segment more health-conscious, while full-time adults with higher education and income are also more health-conscious consumers. Based on the results of interviews with six groups – three with students and three with full-time adults – it can be stated that among the participants the reasons for consuming fruit and vegetables are health awareness, and in many cases the family pattern is a determining, moreover important aspect that vegetables and fruits are very much loved. However, despite their commitment to a healthy lifestyle and fruit and vegetable, most of them have never heard of fruit and vegetable promotions. As a result of the focus group research, it can also be observed that income is a determining factor, especially in the face of rising prices. In addition to consumption patterns, the research also addressed the issue of branding, the results of which suggest that geographical indications are still more important than the creation of a stand-alone brand name.
JEL Classification: I12, P46
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Wine Consumption Habits in Hungary
3-20Views:462Wine production and consumption varies widely from country to country, due to the diversity of the world's wine-producing regions and consumer preferences. The wine sector is a global market where wine production and consumption trends are constantly evolving. In recent decades, the world wine market has undergone a complete transformation, and Hungarian wine culture has also undergone significant changes. Every culture of every age has had its own ideas about wine, wine making and wine consumption. The wine sector also faces the challenge of changing consumer preferences. The research aims to understand the wine consumption habits of domestic consumers. The research will explore the aspects of wine choice, where wine is consumed and where wine is purchased. Wine consumption in Hungary is a small part of the daily consumption, The results of the research show that wine consumption in Hungary today is related to income. Improving the income situation increases the frequency of wine consumption. Further results show that wine was purchased in higher amount by people with higher incomes and higher education levels, which is similar to the consumer audience in most countries. The transformation has been generated by the emergence of new viticultural and oenological technologies based on scientific results, the increased demand for quality, the spread of producer sophistication and the emergence of a discerning wine consumer class.
JEL Codes: L83, M31 -
The Role of the Cognitive Component of Consumer Attitude in the Image of the Pálinka
21-32Views:420The research aim is to explore the potential role of consumer attitude components in image development related to a traditional Hungarian alcoholic beverage, the pálinka. This study focuses on the effect of the cognitive component of attitude on image of the pálinka. The relevance of this research is the expansion of the pálinka market in recent years and the changing of the regulatory environment about homemade spirits. Distillate made at home, which product improperly called homemade pálinka, is very popular in Hungary. Based on the qualitative studies, the most important characteristics in the consumer perception of alcoholic beverage are quality, price, prestige, fashion and origin. The importance of these attributes of the most popular alcoholic beverages in Hungary was assessed by the participants on Likert scales. Homemade spirit has the most favorable attitude and in-store pálinka has the most unfavorable attitude. To understand the effect of the cognitive component, we used two types of the multiattribute attitude model of Fishbein. By using a 7-point semantic differential scale, we could graphically illustrate the consumer belief about the homemade and in-store pálinka. Image profiles on the semantic differential scales show the differences in image of the analysed alcoholic beverages. The study confirmed the advantage of homemade spirit image over in-store pálinka, points out the importance of education and information in the case of the cognitive component of consumer attitude. The reconsidering of the marketing communication of the in-store pálinka producers is very important and urgent.
JEL Classification: M31
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The Most Expensive Bites – Food Waste among University Students in Debrecen
59-75Views:389The scale, importance and consequences of food waste are a much-studied topic, as they contribute greatly to resource wastage and environmental damage. Research at the University of Debrecen aimed to explore the factors behind food waste, with a particular focus on the habits of university students. While the overall level of food waste is well documented worldwide, research on specific population groups, such as university students, has only recently received attention. University students represent a unique demographic group due to their particular life rhythm, limited financial means and more in-depth knowledge. In the framework of the research, a survey was conducted among the students of the University of Debrecen in the academic year 2023/2024 to find out their knowledge and habits related to food waste. The aim of the survey is to highlight opportunities to reduce waste and contribute to more sustainable consumption patterns. The survey was voluntary and consisted of 133 questions in several groups of questions. After data cleaning, the present study is based on the responses of 618 students. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29.0. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test were conducted and Chi-square test was used at 5% level of significance. K-means clustering algorithm was used to group respondents based on their estimated individual food waste in kilograms and their household or national average food waste. In addition to this, PCA (Principal Component Analysis) analysis was applied. There was a significant difference between genders, with women typically wasting less food than men, there was no difference in wastage between income groups, but there was for the principal components based on attitudes, with those of modest income typically being more financially conscious, while those of above average income were less characterized by planning and more characterized by environmentalism. There was also a significant difference by education level, with lower educated individuals being more receptive to discounts and higher educated individuals scoring higher on the environmental principal component.
JEL Codes: D12, Q18, Q 53, Q56 -
Environmental Awareness of Generations and Sustainable Product Development: The Way towards a Green Future
45-57Views:533Environmental protection is one of the most significant challenges of our time, becoming increasingly urgent due to the growing population and consumption. This study examines the environmental awareness of different generations, particularly Generation Z, and highlights gender differences. The online questionnaire survey analyzed the opinions of 427 respondents living in the Northern Great Plain region, of whom 367 belonged to Generation Z (148 men, 219 women) and 57 to Generations X and Y. The study also investigated Generation Z's attitudes toward activities aimed at mitigating climate change, with comparisons across genders and generations. On a 1-to-5 Likert scale (1 = not important at all, 5 = extremely important), Generation Z ranked selective waste collection (average = 4.37), avoiding food waste (average = 4.21), and conscious energy use (average = 4.17) as the most important. Women rated environmentally conscious activities, such as using recycled paper and choosing products with less packaging, significantly higher than men (p ≤ 0.05). Comparative analysis showed that Generations X and Y considered nearly all climate protection activities more important than Generation Z (p ≤ 0.05), likely due to higher levels of knowledge about energy-saving solutions. Education and family environment play a key role in shaping environmental values. Despite generational differences, Generation Z also prioritizes waste reduction and considers climate protection aspects in their purchasing decisions. The study additionally presents the development of a sustainable soft drink that incorporates environmental considerations and offers an innovative packaging solution to minimize waste.
JEL code: Q01 -
Analysis of the Affective and Conative Components of Consumer Attitude in the Image of the Pálinka
21-32Views:509The research aim is to explore the potential role of consumer attitude components in image development related to a traditional Hungarian alcoholic beverage, the pálinka. This study focuses on the effect of the affective and conative components of attitude on image of the pálinka. The relevance of this research is the expansion of the pálinka market in recent years and the change of the regulatory environment about homemade spirits. Distillate made at home, which product improperly called homemade pálinka, is very popular in Hungary. This study was supported by the data from a nationwide, representative consumer survey carried out in 2019 and 2020. A total of 626 subjects participated in this survey, the sample is representative for the Hungarian adult population according to gender, age group and region. To understand the effect of the affective and conative attitude components, we used Likert scales and graphically illustrate the consumer feeling and behavior about the homemade spirit and the “in-store” pálinka. The study confirmed the advantage of homemade spirit image over in-store pálinka, and points out the importance of education and information in the case of the affective and conative components of consumer attitude. The reconsidering of the marketing communication of the in-store pálinka producers is timely and very important; however, this task requires a comprehensive marketing strategy covering all three attitude components, and this is the only way for them to remain competitive.
JEL Codes: M31 -
Functional Foods, Consumer Attitudes and Personalized Nutrition
3-17Views:906The dramatic spread of the so called diseases of civilization have occurred in the last decade worldwide. Deaths caused by them have long been of the highest rate among all causes of deaths. In parallel with the spread of the diseases of civilization, population of developed countries is increasingly ageing that increases the number of inactives and those who rely on health treatment. The outlined factors pose new challenges to the food industry: it requires the development new foods that slow down the spread of the diseases of civilization that hit the humankind through their health care effect, and at the same time provide longer life in health for the ageing societies. In the decade after decoding the human genome an extremely rapid development occurred in the techniques of genomics, and in the disciplines applying genomics methods. Researches in genomics focus on how the human genome interacts with the environmental factors for determining the gene expression. Nutrition as one of the most important environmental factors has an obvious impact on the health but we have not known yet exactly what this impact is and what its mechanism is. The so called nutrigenomics – that is a new discipline – aims to reveal the relationships that are not yet known. The personalized nutrition is a conception that adapts the diet, the foods, and the nutrients to the unique needs of the specific person.
The authors examined the relationships between the functional foods, consumer attitudes and personalized nutrition in the framework of a nation-wide representative consumer survey of 500 people. According to the results majority of the consumers (73.8%) believes that her/him nutrition (diet) follows a normal structure and all that she/he needs enters her/his body automatically. Knowing the critical health state of the population it can be stated that the high agreement portion is based on misbelieves. This is also indicated by the fact that 57.4% of consumers only eats foods that tastes good, even when it is supposedly less healthy. In the next half year almost 50% of the Hungarian population do not intend to switch to a nutrition considered healthier by themselves. Further 22% of the respondents already feel some urge to change their behavior, they compare the costs and the potential benefits of change. Only 5.0% of the interviewees switched to a nutrition considered healthier by themselves in the last six months, and the rate of those who maintain the positive change is 17.4%.
In the current situation there is no other option than raising awareness of the population for foods that provide excess nutrition benefits. These are the functional foods that hold important position in the education to healthy nutrition of the population. However, it is does matter in which strategy they are used by the enterprises. This applies for the development of both new technologies and new functional foods where involvement of consumers is inevitable today.
The so called perception screening theory answers the solution of the anomalies between the scientific objectivity and the consumer perception. We tried to apply the perception screening theory in a new discipline, entirely unknown to the consumers. The nutrition genomics and its major application area, the personalized nutrition are novel concepts to the population to such an extent that preferences and attitudes related to them have not occurred yet. This is why it could be interesting which most important psychological processes are the ones that can lead to the adoption of the new technology, and the development of the positive consumer attitudes. According to the results Hungarian consumers are mistrustful against the new technology and they are uncertain – despite its obvious advantages. The not so positive attitude is likely caused by more factors together. Traditional thinking, reluctance to the new play a role in it as well as the lack of information and misbelieves related to the genetic tests. The technology is novel to the consumers to such an extent that we found significant differences between the consumer segments only in some cases, i.e. consumer preferences cannot be classified, they are highly scattered. Finally, the authors developed an optimized practical model by which the successful launch of a new functional food and its hindering factors can be securely forecasted. -
Nutritional Significance of Eggs as a Basic and Functional Food
7-22Views:967The image of table eggs and egg consumption habits were negatively influenced by the American National Cholesterol Education Program based on the misperception that dietary cholesterol affects serum cholesterol levels in blood. Research in recent years, which is less well-known and widespread in the public awareness, has refuted this theory. Eggs are miracle foods containing 40 proteins and 18 amino acids, and rich in vitamins and minerals, with the same biological value as breast milk. Moreover, eggs have functional properties which can make it one of the possible tools for improving public health because it reduces the risk of a large number of diseases, and helps brain function and foetal development, and strengthens the immune system. Nevertheless, the Hungarian egg consumption and production were down in recent years. Stopping and reversing this trend are needed as quickly as possible. The aim of this study is to summarize the latest research results on eggs and its nutritional significance, which is able to provide a basis for adequate information to consumers and updating the knowledge of related disciplines.
JEL codes: I10, M30, Q13
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The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Consumer Motivation and Awareness in the Dietary Supplements Market –Exploratory Research
31-42Views:606This study explores the impact of influencer marketing on consumer motivation and awareness in the dietary supplements market. The increasing prevalence of social media and its integration into daily life has positioned influencer marketing as one of the most dynamic and influential tools in targeting younger generations, particularly the z and y generations. This study examines how influencer marketing affects purchasing behavior, with an emphasis tin the health-conscious lifestyle trend. Through a combination of secondary and primary research, the study identifies key trends and motivations driving consumer behavior in the dietary supplements sector. Six qualitative in- depth interviews were conducted with participants aged 24 to 35 from the y and z generations. These interviews highlighted the importance of health consciousness, social media influences, and individual trust in influencers’ credibility. Participants’ motivations for using dietary supplements include health maintenance, energy boosts, and convenience, though skepticism towards influencer-promoted products persists. The findings suggest that while influencer marketing holds significant sway over generation Z consumers, authenticity, scientific backing, and the influencers’ credibility play critical roles in determining their effectiveness. Conversely, generation Y consumers demonstrated a greater degree of skepticism towards influencers and placed more emphasis tin staff research and expert opinions. The study concludes that responsible influencer marketing practices and better consumer education are essential. These include transparent, scientifically grounded communication lake mitigate potential misinformation. The insights gained contribute lake understanding how generational differences shape consumer engagement with dietary supplements and highlights the need for regulated marketing practices lake ensure ethical promotion in this growing market.
JEL Codes: M31, I112
