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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

As no study on attitudes towards local food has compared “organic” and national quality scheme consumer segments, this study aimed to provide further insights and clarifications on the issue of consumer segmentation in terms of trust towards organic food and food of selected quality perceived as local, along socioeconomic characteristics, and other important determinants of this complex interaction. The research examines consumers’ attitudes and perceptions related to two quality schemes for special Slovenian foods: “Organic”, which relates to production methods; and “Selected Quality”, which relates to quality attributes. The study focused on two segments of consumers, who exhibit a high level of trust towards the two quality schemes. Comparative analysis of the consumer segments looked for the potential differences with respect to their sociodemographic profiles, as well as to their understanding of the definition of local food, attitudes towards local food, trust in actors and institutions, and willingness to purchase local food. The study combined qualitative approaches and a quantitative survey with a general population sample. The results showed that both consumer groups have similar understandings of local food, with region-based interpretations outperforming country-based interpretations. The “Organic” group was more cosmopolitan and supportive of the local community, regardless of geographic proximity, than the “Selected Quality” group. Older consumers occupy a larger share of both segments, with professionals and individuals with higher incomes more likely to be in the “Organic” group and retirees and students more likely to be in the “Selected Quality” group. To increase the consumers’ interest in food with the “Organic” and “Selected Quality” schemes, more specific product propositions should be developed.

Details

Title
Identifying Differences in Consumer Attitudes towards Local Foods in Organic and National Voluntary Quality Certification Schemes
Author
Hristov, Hristo 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Erjavec, Karmen 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pravst, Igor 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Juvančič, Luka 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kuhar, Aleš 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Nutrition Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 
 Faculty of Business and Informatics, University of Novo Mesto, SI-8000 Novo Mesto, Slovenia 
 Nutrition Institute, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 
 Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 
First page
1132
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
23048158
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2791647304
Copyright
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.