Factors Affecting Food Purchases in Vysočina Region with Focus on Regional Food

Abstract

The article presents the results of a research study that analyses chosen factors that affect food purchases in Vysočina Region with focus on a regional food. The quantitative research, conducted in 2015 in each district of Vysočina Region (Jihlava, Žďár nad Sázavou, Třebíč, Havlíčkův Brod and Pelhřimov), analysed the opinions of 819 respondents. They were selected by quota sampling methods according to gender. Data have been processed with correspondence analysis; the results show that brand and price are significant factors that influence consumers in Vysočina Region when they buy food, the labels on the food packaging do not seem to be a strong signal of quality. Statistical tests based on contingency tables proved that regional food is strongly preferred by women and consumers over 65 years old.

Food Labels (Quality, Origin, and Sustainability): The Experience of Czech Producers

“…It provides uniform criteria for the labelling of food produced in the Czech Republic, as mentioned above [42]. Various researchers have proven that the Czech customers in general are willing to pay a premium price for labeled food products, if the labels signal quality [38], sustainability [37], and to some extent, regional origin [31,34].…”

“…However, Velčovská and Hadro [33], who compared respondents' perceptions and expectations of food quality labels in the Czech Republic and Poland, suggest that Czech consumers consider the number of food quality labels too high, finding them confusing. Consumers hence only pay limited attention to them when buying food [4,34]. With the limited impact of labels on the food purchases, producers may not be able to acquire the benefits of the labels in full range.…”

“…The certificates can be obtained by SMEs producing food and handicrafts, as well as service providers within tourism [43]. Several researchers have shown that the labels are not really recognized and are not very successful in attracting the consumers' attention [31,34,44,45]; these researchers studied the motives for choosing products with origin labels (regional labels as well as PDO-and PGI-labeled products), and identified that customers have several motives for buying these labeled products. The motives may be emotional (pleasant experience and memories related to the country/region or attachment to the region/country), sensory (specific appearance, texture, flavor, and taste), and social (support for national/local producers).…”