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Barriers to the Consumption of Organic Food in Visegrad Group Countries
The consumption of organic food fits into the sustainable development goals and constitutes a justification for the further development of organic farming. The research aimed to identify the most important limitations to the growth of organic food consumption in the Visegrad Group countries and to indicate the differences and similarities in their perception. Therefore, at the turn of 2024, a survey was conducted among consumers in each of the countries of the Visegrad Group on a population of 600 people using an identical survey questionnaire. The research shows that in all four countries, the most important barrier to the growth of organic food is its high price, which is of great importance to Slovak consumers. The low availability and narrow offer, as well as insufficient information on organic food, were also important for consumers. On average, over 80% of the surveyed consumers rate the price level of organic food as high – the highest percentage was observed in Slovakia and the lowest in Czechia. Also, approximately 80% of the surveyed can accept a price up to 20% higher than conventional food. In the opinion of the respondents, the most important factors that would increase organic food consumption include lowering its prices, increasing income, and expanding the offer and availability.
Factors influencing the purchasing of organic food by Slovak consumers: Quality or promotion?
This study explores the purchasing behaviour of Slovak consumers regarding organic food. Using data collected by CAWI from 318 respondents, the research aims to examine the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of Slovak consumers and their purchasing behaviour, with particular attention to the factors influencing their decision to buy organic food. Based on the chi-square test of independence, results show that the purchase of organic food depends on consumers' income and education levels. Organic food consumption is primarily driven by factors related to high quality, nutritional content, sensory attributes of organic food and healthy lifestyle, rather than by external social trends such as celebrity endorsement, curiosity, fashion, and trendiness, which are considered the least important. Additionally, the purchase of organic food is most frequently initiated for personal use and general household consumption, while purchases for children or individuals with allergies are less common. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, the study identifies three clusters of conumers who make decisions about purchasing organic food based on the same factors: (1) fashion and celebrities, (2) high quality, sensory quality, nutrient content, healthy lifestyle and traditional production methods, (3) fair trade, locally produced, family, curiosity, environmental impact, absence of GMOs and additives and controlled production process). The first cluster was the smallest. These were marginalized, niche factors. The second cluster consisted of respondents for whom the quality of the product, its features, as well as health and traditional production methods were important. The third cluster of respondents included people for whom social, environmental, and safety factors were important. These findings provide valuable insights for segmenting the organic food market and for developing product labelling policies and marketing communication strategies.