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Functional Foods, Consumer Attitudes and Personalized Nutrition
3-17Views:550The 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. -
The Relationship between Genetics-Based Personalised Nutrition and Dietary Supplement Consumption among the Hungarian Population
61-71Views:95Genetic-based personalised nutrition is a concept that adapts diets, foods and nutrients to a person's individual needs (genetic, lifestyle and environmental), of which the use of supplements can be an integral part. Personalised nutrition, as a new technology and nutritional principle, could be a good way to improve the objective health status of the population in a meaningful way. However, previous research has shown that Hungarian consumers are distrustful and uncertain about this new technology, despite its obvious benefits. My main objective is to identify the attitudes towards nutrigenomics in relation to dietary supplement consumer behaviour. My quantitative analysis was carried out on a nationally representative sample of 1000 people. In the present study, I describe the clusters of the Hungarian population based on their dietary supplement consumption behaviour. Each cluster has different opinions on who they perceive as having an advantage in the applicability of genetic-based tests and to what extent they expect consensus among experts on genetic-based tests. Clusters show characteristic differences in openness to innovation and attitudes towards genetically personalised nutrition. I complemented my results with a qualitative study, which I conducted in the form of a netnographic survey. Through content analysis on social media, I identified the most common themes and consumer reactions to personalised nutrition on social media sites. Overall, it was found that dietary supplement consumption and the adoption of genetic-based tests show synergies in the manifestation of openness to novelty, health promotion behaviours, social norms, and positive attitudes.
JEL Codes: A13, I12, P46 -
Role and Importance of Healthy Eating
49-63Views:2150Healthy nutrition and a regular exercise are two important pillars of healthy lifestyle. Several researches point out that significant part of the population has incomplete knowledge regarding these topics. The Hungarian population is characterized by unhealthy eating habits and low level of regular exercise, which together result in a high obesity rate and poor health status among the Hungarians. Besides these, another unfavourable fact is the sedentary lifestyle: adults spend more than 5 hours a day in sitting position on average. The Hungarians’ daily physical activity is only 70% of the recommendations, and we only spend 10 minutes a day doing sports. Vegetables and fruits are important ingredients of a healthy and balanced diet, the consumption rate of which is quite low in several European countries including Hungary. In our article we present the main characteristics and contexts of healthy nutrition and physical activity. In addition, we analyze a nutrition research activity which can be an important basis for integrative strategies. Based on secondary research, we present research results that demonstrate the protective effects of vegetable and fruit consumption connected to various diseases. Furthermore, we present the unfavorable tendencies of vegetable and fruit consumption of the European and Hungarian population, and we make suggestions in order to improve the unfavourable circumstances and indicators. We also focus on the socio-ecological model of the nutrition guideline, the levels of which significantly affect our habits related to nutrition and physical activity.
JEL code: I12
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Consumer Perception of a Healthy Nutrition – The Results of an Exploratory Study
57-66Views:819Healthy nutrition is becoming increasingly important in the age of endemic non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and various cancers. Moreover, due to modern eating habits, more and more people are experiencing food allergies, sensitivity or intolerance to gluten, lactose, milk protein, soy, or egg, just to mention a few. Healthy eating as prevention has become a possible solution for these problems worldwide. Furthermore, an increasing number of people simply want to pay attention to what they consume. The primary objective of this research is to showcase the attitude of consumers in Debrecen (Hungary) towards a healthy nutrition, as well as to explore the factors that influence it. This paper also aims to reveal consumers’ views on the degree to which a healthy diet can be achieved in their daily lives. Focus group interview was chosen as the method of primary data collection, in which consumers living in Debrecen, with different behaviors towards health (health preventive and health risk) took part. The acquired results from the two groups clearly reflect how consumers with dissimilar attitudes towards healthy nutrition reach differing opinions on the same issues.
JEL Classification: I12, M31
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The Role of Food Labels in Consumer’s Food Choices
39-53Views:147One of the most important pillars of a healthy lifestyle is healthy nutritional value, in which FOP nutrition labels can support consumers in making the right decision. Nutrition-related diseases of civilization are a worldwide problem. A healthy diet is essential for overall well-being and the prevention of many chronic diseases. Special attention must be paid to the use of FOP nutrition values in order to prevention and healthy decision-making. It is important that people can interpret the nutritional quality of foods as simply as possible. The packaging has to provide realistic and accurate infromation about the product. This study describes four types of FOP nutrition labels used in the European Union: Nordic Keyhole, Nutri-Score, Traffic-Lights, NutrInform Battery.
JEL-Code: M31 -
Levels of Behaviour Change in the Course of Body Mass Management – Food Consumption and Physical Activity
19-28Views:166Based on the secondary data, it can be stated that more than half of the Hungarian population are obese, therefore, the actuality of this topic is approved. As a result of this research, the distribution of the examined sample has been executed by the phases of the Transtheoretical model. Thus, the situation in the precontemplation phase is better concerning the transfer to more regular physical activity (one-third of the sample) than the change for food consumption considered as healthier. Similar results were received in the phase of maintenance as well: one-fourth of the sample answered that they did more regular physical activity with the minimal risk of fallback, and one-fifth of them thought that their healthier food consumption could be maintained. The fewest people are in the preparation phase of the transfer to healthier food nutrition, while in the case of more regular physical activity the rate is also lower in the phase of preparation compared to the contemplation, action and maintenance stages. A reason for that can be that the questioned see the change within one month, or they do not have the necessary determination to execute the change within such a short deadline, or to prepare themselves to the change. Considering the gender, in the first and last phases (precontemplation and maintenance) men are in greater proportion on both examined fields. In our opinion, the reason for it is that men are more determined considering their values and attitudes of their own body mass management. We think that the low number of people in the precontemplation phase is quite promising, especially in the case of more regular physical activity, since the people on the higher levels have the potential to develop healthier nutrition and physical activity, to enhance the motivation of contemplators, preparators and doers, and the support of maintainers can be a realistic step to reach the health political aims.
JEL code: Q13
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Public Beliefs and Misconceptions in Macro-Nutrient Related Diets Among TikTok Users
29-37Views:219Nowadays, non-communicable diet-related diseases which risk could be greatly reduced by a good lifestyle are becoming increasingly important. One important component of which, nutrition, is the subject of the current research. At present in Hungary the most popular diets are based on carbohydrate and fat intake. Their spread and appearance in social media allowed for a netnographic study, the main purpose of which was to identify what misconceptions or misinformation live in the public consciousness about the topic. I hope that the conclusions drawn from the results obtained can contribute future research and help resolving dilemmas about nutrition, so that consumers can adopt the lifestyle that best suits them, thereby increasing the number of years spent in good health.
JEL Codes: I18, M30, M39
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Interrelations of Sustainable Food Consumption
3-22Views:136The past seventy years have been perhaps the fastest development phase in human history. The concept of sustainable development is the sense of responsibility towards future generations, the so-called emphasizes intergenerational solidarity by recognizing the right of future generations to meet their needs. The biggest challenge facing humanity is finding solutions to reduce the damage it causes. The key to this is changing consumption habits. We believe that a food consumption structure that has a low environmental impact, but at the same time an insufficient nutrient density, cannot be considered sustainable, as this leads to malnutrition and deficiency diseases. A sustainable food system (SFS) is a food system that ensures food security and healthy nutrition for all, in a way that does not jeopardize the economic, social and environmental foundations for future generations. Based on what has been described so far, it is clear that the environment and health are two key dimensions of a sustainable diet or sustainable food consumption. The article presents the implementation possibilities of sustainable food consumption through examples.
JEL Codes: E2, Q5 -
Investigation of Healthy Nutrition in Post-Adolescents Complemented with a Sociological Aspects
45-58Views:428In our rapidly evolving world, a healthy lifestyle has got more and more attention. The prevention and gradual development can never be begun early enough. In our research, we examined the healthy, moderate eating habits of post-adolescents complemented with sociological aspects. We performed primary and secondary data collection. We used methods like descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation analysis, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. In terms of sociologic factors, we examined some dimensions of detachment, which confirmed that university citizens are one group of post-adolescents. The healthy eating habits were analysed by food groups and social factors. During the cluster analysis, we separated 5 clusters and evaluated them by the factors. Based on the factor and cluster analyses, we found that university students consider healthy eating to be an important social value.
JEL Codes: A13, I12 -
Specific Features of Health Awareness for 11-17-Year-Old Hungarian Students After the Millennium Based on Hbsc Research Data – Literature Review
33-44Views:736The aim of this study is to present the health behaviour of 11-17-year-old Hungarian students. In connection with this topic we analyzed international and Hungarian articles based on primer researches and the results of a Hungarian survey as part of an international research, namely „The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children” (HBSC). The aim of the research is to monitor health related habits and health status of 11-17-year-old students, to track temporal and international trends of survey results, and to explore factors influencing health indicators. In this study we present the results of health promoting (nutrition, physical activity) and health compromising behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption) and their characteristic changes based on five recent surveys (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). During this study, we made a document analysis based on the previous Hungarian research results. The results showed a prosperous scheme, which predicts a slow but steady positive change, however there is still a long way to go. The biggest problem in the way of life of these children is the lack of conscious behaviour. Most of these children are not aware of the consequences of their lifestyle on their health.
JEL Codes: I12 -
Examination and Consumers’ Evaluation of New Pilot Products from Pseudocereals
57-68Views:176Nowadays the importance of the use of pseudocereals is increasing, especially in the diet of health conscious consumers and those who follow reform diet. In our research we produced pilot products with health-beneficial properties. The main ingredients were pseudocereals, such as buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa flour, and our aim was to get more information about their possible uses in nutrition. These grains have typical (buckwheat) or bitter taste (amaranth), therefore our second aim was to survey the consumers’ opinions, which help us to determine further direction of development. In our research we produced bakery pilot products from the previously defined mixtures of different gluten free flours and natural additives, taking into account the consumer’s demands, because more and more people are looking for the opportunity to reduce the gluten intake improving their health condition. Physical and chemical parameters of pilot products were determined. Finally, we evaluated the consumers’ opinions by a sensory test and questionnaire, therefore, we got results not only about the quality of products but the consumers’ preference orders too.
JEL Code: I19
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Analyzing Consumer Attitudes Towards Health-protecting Food
39-55Views:461The main goal of our research was to analyze the role of health-protecting food in our daily nutrition. In our secondary research, we analyzed the generalities and characteristics of health and health behavior with the help of relevant domestic and foreign literature. We analyzed the domestic tendencies of health in details. We examined the most important characteristics of functional foods and investigated the factors of personalized nutrition. Based on a literature review, in our primary research we conducted an online questionnaire survey with 231 respondents. Our survey cannot be considered representative, however, the proportion of genders in our sample population is almost the same as the Hungarian population’s. In the questionnaire survey, we examined the frequency of consumption of health-protecting food. After that, we analyzed respondents’ perceptions of the actual health effects of health-protecting food. We have measured consumer attitudes towards health-protecting food. We analyzed the perception of potential health risks and problems from the consumer perspective. We measured the impact of various health factors on shopping. Besides, we have explored our intention to participate in personalized nutrition-related programs. Based on our research, most of the analyzed health-protecting food is consumed once or twice a week. It can be stated that the respondents considered the examined food categories less scientifically proven. We could identify the preventive behaviors of respondents for various health problems. However, there is also uncertainty in the decision of respondents in what is the right way to prevent the diseases. In this uncertain situation, only experts can provide real help to them.
JEL Classification: Q16, Q12, Q13, O32
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Examination of consumer preferences in relation to plant-based diet
3-20Views:724Today, non-communicable, chronic diseases have become the number one causes of death worldwide. But while the problem is receding in developed, more civilized countries, the so called civilization diseases have shifted towards less developed societies, thus spreading throughout the world. One of the main sources of the problem is unhealthy nutrition, so compiling the right diet can reduce the spread and severity of chronic diseases. Within the framework of this article, we deal with plant-based nutrition and its characteristics. Our aim was to get to know the motivations and opinions of those who consider themselves (to be) vegetarian, and to a lesser extent those of the omnivorous groups in relation to plant-based (vegetarian) diets. One of our main findings was that vegetarians follow a plant-based diet primarily for physical and mental health, with almost two-thirds strictly adhering to their diet and the price level of which they do not consider more expensive than the omnivorous diet. Another important result was that the majority of those who followed the plant-based diet declared their diet to be healthy and themselves to be health-conscious. Based on the results, it can be stated that the followers of the plant-based diet are very satisfied with their own diet.
JEL codes: I10, I12 -
The Role of Sweet Corn Quality in a Healthy Diet
39-48Views:113The importance of sweet corn as a healthy food is constantly increasing worldwide. The research and comparative analysis of super sweet sweet corn hybrids suitable for fresh consumption and canning is of particular importance in the food industry. In our studies, we compared the carotenoid content of three supersweet sweet corn hybrids to collect data for its healthy conditions. A novel result in our tests that sweet corn contains the highest amount of lutein and contains zeaxanthin. We found that the amount of zeaxanthin and lutein is determined by its genotype. We found that carotenoids are influenced by the environmental conditions. The concentration of lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene did not decrease with the growth of the crop, which confirms the importance of sweet corn hybrid selection for healthy nutrition. In our studies, the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin was higher than the amount of beta cryptoxanthin and beta carotene. Carotene consumption has many positive effects on the human body, it can reduce the incidence of cancer, vascular diseases, or wolf blindness resulting from a lack of vitamin A.
JEL Codes: I1, L15 -
Qualitative Investigation of Salt and Sugar Free Nutrition in the Canned Vegetable Market
71-82Views:329“Free from” products as important components of a health-conscious diet are prevalent on store shelves. Our research is based on the analysis of the market situation and introduction possibilities of a potential canned vegetable that can even satisfy the needs of consumers for salt and sugar free meals. Secondary data and information collection provided the basis for further research. In the primary research, we used three qualitative methods, which were netnographic examination, expert interview, and focus group research. In the course of netnography, we examined consumer needs for salt and sugar free canned food on the Internet, mainly on social media, based on pre-collected keywords. The interview with an expert in the canning industry focused on the specificity of canned food and the position of “free from” canned food. Focus group research was composed to learn about the perceptions of university students about both canned food and their customers alike. Among other things, we have shed light on the fact that consumers associate the expression “free from” with the word health, but emphasizing “free from” nature of the product can create a sense of lack. Examining “free from” canned food, we found that young, time constrained, health-conscious consumers can be the target group. Due to the target market, we recommend promoting it on online platforms, where it would even be advisable to use educational campaigns.
JEL Codes: M31, Q13
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Investigating the Dietary Practice of Students at the University of Debrecen
39-50Views:889Nowadays, the importance of food in the preservation and restoration of health has become more and more important, as the number of people suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various food allergies is increasing. In many cases, there is a problem with what is the recommended range of foods, and what is (the meaning of) a healthy and health-conscious diet. The focus of our study is on the nutritional habits of young university students, as the health consciousness of this age group plays a prominent role at both domestic and international level. The primary purpose of the research is to map the daily dietary habits university students in Debrecen to the recommendations of the nutritional pyramid of dietary nutrition and good nutrition created by dietitians. The basis of our primary study was the observational procedure by creating a food diary and fill it with the randomly chosen students, during which we could observe the quality and quantity of food consumed by them during their daily meals. On the basis of the results, the dietitians expected and actual food consumption in the case of the target group were able to compared, on the basis of which it can be concluded that the eating habits of the university students of Debrecen fall short of the healthy eating recommendation.
JEL Codes: A13, P56
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Relationship between Health Behaviour of Parents and Children
35-52Views:154In recent years our daily lives have been characterised by lifestyle diseases, sedentary lifestyle, high level of physical inactivity, global pandemic. Because of this reason health becomes as an important value in our everyday life. It can be said that health status is a dynamic status which is affected by various aspects. The development of health behaviour involves individual decision-making and choices, the social and built environment, as well as various socialization contexts. The family model and the socio-economic status of the family play a crucial role in shaping children's attitudes towards health culture, exerting a significant influence on the formation of children's habits such as physical activity and proper nutrition. In childhood, there is partial control, with parents making decisions about living conditions, nutrition, and most aspects of the child's life. It is also important to note, that adolescents constitute a demographic where primary prevention can achieve the most long-term successes. Because of this reason, at the centre of our research is the examination of parental patterns and their reflection in the health behaviour of young adults, including eating-, sleeping-, and harmful habits as well as covid pandemic's effect on the eating habits of the families.
JEL Code: I12 -
Impact of Personal Values on the Change of Health Behaviour and the Conscious Food Purchase
57-71Views:245Major aim of the examination is to reveal relationships between personal values, the switch to the health conscious nutrition method, and the food consumer behaviour based on the value list by Kahle (LOV). In order to attain this goal a nationwide representative survey was conducted in Hungary with the participation of 1000 persons. According to the results the most important value for the population is safety that is followed by the need for fun and enjoyment in life. During the analysis of the value list a factor structure – different from the standard – was revealed that formed the base of the segmentation. Four consumer segments were identified, the Value oriented, the Moderately value driven, the Safety seeker, and the Disappointed segments.
The Value oriented segment can be considered as the primary target group of health protecting foods as members of this group moved to the direction of more health conscious consumption and in parallel of more health conscious food purchase to the greatest extent (18.5%). The second group showing significant changes is the Safety seekers that suggests that the extent of the value orientation significantly affects the behavior, i.e. food purchase and food consumption independently of its content. The value content provides information to the development of the content elements of the marketing strategy and the marketing message for the producers of health protecting foods. -
Investigation of Some Connections Between the Coronavirus Epidemic and “Acquisition Fever” in Győr
89-101Views:188The birth of this publication was generated by the events of today. In the light of the research (and the literature data), it can be stated that the coronavirus epidemic that appeared in Hungary in the spring of 2020 caused panic shopping, and the freedom of choice (abundance of goods) was again replaced by consumer vulnerability like before the years of regime change. The analysis shows that 75 percent of those over the age of 60, while only 62 percent of the members of the youngest age group think it is worth piling up. It is also interesting to note that the main reason for over-buying is the creation of a contingency reserve. Larger store types, mostly with a wide range of goods, were well suited for this. Also, 33,2 % of respondents thought they had bought more to reduce the number of shopping trips (and thus presumably to slow down the spread of the virus).
JEL Classification: M31, H12
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Analysis of Poultry Consumption and Purcase Habits in Connection with Socio-demographic Factors
57-69Views:314The consumption of poultry is an important source of nutrition, so it is a basic need for everyday food conception. To supply the population is not only a sensitive social question, but also a question of national health. The aim of this study is to reveal the connection between the preference of poultry and the basic socio-demographic factors and highlight the circumstances of purchasing this type of meat. In order to understand the preference of poultry, a large sample quantitative (N=1 023 respondents) study was conducted. The preference of poultry depends on the age and residence of consumers. People over 50 and below 34 living in larger cities have the most favorable preference towards poultry. In order to understand the circumstances of purchasing poultry and other meat products, an observation (N=134) was conducted. Customers typically buy fresh meat in super- and hypermarkets or at butcher’s and they request the product from salespeople. Shoppers prefer to buy poultry than pork or beef. Considering poultry people usually buy pigeon-breast either filet or boned. People pay an average amount of 3 700 HUF for meat, however, the standard deviation is high. The mode are 2 000, 4 000 and 6 000 HUF. In general, the process of purchasing lasts for 10 minutes. Customers usually buy poultry because of hedonism and healthy eating style that is why companies have to sell the advantages and not only the product on the market.
JEL code: M31
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Interpretation of Health-conscious Food Consumption Behavior on the Basis of LOHAS Concept
39-46Views:337In our study, the information search behavior of sustainability committed consumer group is analyzed. Furthermore, consumer opinions about nutrition labels on food packaging are highlighted. According to the international literature, LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) group is the most committed consumer segment to sustainability.
Exploration of Hungarian sustainability committed consumer groups’ opinion about food labels is supported by the closing part of a research chain which was started in 2010. This, last research was carried out in 2012, where, with the aid of quota sampling, Trend followers’ and Unconcerned’s judgment on food labels was investigated. The quota and the two mentioned groups were formed on the basis of a national representative research, which was performed in 2011. Information search behavior was evaluated according to the structure of Grunert-Wills’ information search model. In this study we focus on our research results, which connect to the last two steps (understanding, interferences and use) of the mentioned model.
Goal of this research is to investigate in a practical aspect of information search behavior of domestic sustainability committed consumer group (“Trend followers”) in connection with food labels proving health effects of foodstuffs. Four hypotheses were defined to reach our goal:
H1: Among health information on food packaging, labels stating energy value, are getting a higher influencing role in food purchasing process, where conscious consumer groups have a deeper knowledge about the objective meaning of food labels.
H2: Consumer knowledge about objective meaning of food labels is getting a highlighted role in formation of brand loyalty.
H3: Trust has an essential role in consumer acceptation of food labels, where common qualifier activity of different organizations (state, profit and nonprofit area) come into the front.
H4: Correct understanding of food labels has a positive influencing effect on acceptation of higher prices and on real use of food labels during food purchasing.
One- and multivariate analysis and cross table analysis were calculated to investigate our assumptions. In the closing part of our study, three practical recommendations are defined, which relate to follows: optimization of communication strategy of food industries, way of introduction of new food labels and need of objective guidance of consumers about food information. -
Examination of the Young Athletes’ Eating Habits
79-88Views:595Nowadays, movement and maintaining health are becoming more and more prominent in both public life and the scientific world. In connection with this, we can meet many scientific developments and new recommendations. In the present research, we examined young athletes, primarily in terms of their eating habits, as the compilation of a proper diet contributes greatly to the ability of athletes to achieve the best possible results. The aim of the secondary search was to get acquainted with the young athletes’ health-consciousness behavior and eating habits. The primary search consisted of an online-, and paper based questionnaire as well. As far as data analysis is concerned, we only considered data given by the targeted segment of the respondents, which falls between the age of 15 and 35. For statistical analysis we used descriptive statistics and crosstabs procedure. The results revealed that the majority of the athletes eat 3-5 times a day both in preparation and competiton period. Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of athletes find conscious eating important, however, they did not find either the consumption of different health protecive or disease preventive food important. They also do not follow the latest trends in connection with sportfood.
JEL Classification: M31, H12, Z2
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Characteristics of Eating Habits and Nutritional Status among the Hungarian Population – Literature Review
45-55Views:731Obesity is a growing public health problem worldwide: recent research activities have shown that the significance of obesity regarding public health is as much as smoking, which imposes a huge burden on the healthcare system. WHO ranked obesity among the world’s ten most significant health problems. Obesity has an increasing prevalence among both adults and children in our country, which is accompanied by the unhealthy eating habits and low level of physical activity and sports of Hungarian people. In our research, we analyze the national literature which represents the nutritional characteristics and their changes of the Hungarian population, the main issues of healthy eating, the different recommendations as well as the status of the Hungarian population related to obesity and overweight. In our article we introduce the relevant research regarding eating habits in other countries based on the international literature. Besides these, we present best practices that could influence the health behaviour of the population by focusing on lifestyle factors, especially regular exercise and healthy diet.
JEL code: I12
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The Megatrend Connections of Food Consumption
19-27Views:363The interest which is shown about food and meals nowadays is high. More and more new magazines, blogs, restaurant reviews and ratings, TV channels, contests and festivals appear in connection with this topic. In this study the new phenomena of food topic is analysed through several megatrend buzzwords. The study tries to draw up a system for the connections of food and meal topic and also tries to present research results about it. Some research results are presented in the study in order to illustrate the behaviour of Hungarian consumer.
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Analysis of the Health – Environment – Nutrition Nexus: A Review
3-24Views:885The fastest improvement of the wealth and quality of life was witnessed in last decades by the humanity globally. Economic and social development, however, influenced the state and processes of the natural environment at the same time significantly. Food supply is one of the major interfaces between the society and the natural resources, as we highlight in our literature review; approximately one-third of the resource use and pollution is originated in nutritional needs. Also, health effects of western diet are remarkable. Consequently, debate on ‘healthy diet’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ food supply chain became complementary and reinforcing topics recently, at least in the scientific communication.
JEL Codes: F64, I12, O13, Q4, Q5