Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior in Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Maramures County, Romania

Abstract

The article explores consumer behavior in the context of sustainable consumption and the changes related to healthy food that have occurred during the pandemic. The study seeks to identify the factors that influenced consumer behavior on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. For this purpose, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 1230 people from Maramures County, Romania. This study evaluates consumer behavior and attitudes on sustainable healthy food consumption; determining factors of consumer behavior are established by the needs, knowledge, selection of quality products, and the degree of culture and education in health diet issues. The study also presents a specific classification for fruits and vegetables in terms of consumer preferences and the clustering of local consumers by their interest in healthy food habits according to consumer culture, consumer loyalty, consumer needs, and consumer knowledge. In this study, it was revealed that consumer behavior consumption is not influenced by age, gender, or education. As a result of the correlation analysis, a positive relation was identified between the consumer preference, consumer attitude, and consumer behavior variables. The results of this study offer practical solutions and directions for future research on redesigning sustainable development of local, traditional foods. The new trend focuses on brand offerings and consumer needs for quality food and shows the consumer’s ethnocentrism and orientation for practical solutions.

Clustering Generation Z university students based on daily fruit and vegetable consumption: empirical research in an emerging market

“…Romania is one of the countries in which the Mediterranean diet is not very often adopted by the population, with citizens preferring a diet that is based more on products of animal origin (meat, eggs, diaries); this may be due to the traditional consumption patterns, but also to the temperate continental climate and the restricted access to local fruits and vegetables during some periods of the year. However, there is an increasing trend of daily fruit and vegetable consumption in the last years; 2020 proved that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables increased, with consumers hoping to ensure in this way the intake of fruits and vegetables necessary for maintaining and/or improving their immunity, resulting in the adoption of a healthier lifestyle (Boca, 2021). In fact, Romania records a strong increase in the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in 2020 (INS, 2021b).…”

“…The highest increase was in 2020, when, probably because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdown and/or the emergency state, many Romanians have become aware of the need to ensure a daily consumption of vitamins and minerals, which can be obtained from fresh fruits and vegetables (INS, 2021a). The lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has also led to a significant increase of fresh fruit and vegetable consumption in Romania (Boca, 2021), with people associating this kind of consumption with the possibility of maintaining their health. As a result of government policies to support local producers, but also of the national strategy to increase the weight of local fruits and vegetables in the total amount of food sold by retail chains, it can be noticed that in the considered period the consumption of local fruits (especially apples and plums) and vegetables has increased (INS, 2021b).…”

“…The study also highlights that females consume both more fruits and vegetables compared to men. Boca (2021) shows that fresh fruits and vegetables are consumed by better educated people, while daily consumption seems to have been more frequent during the pandemic (67.1%) than weekly consumption (26.3%). The authors also highlight the tendency of young people to consume daily fresh fruits and vegetables.…”

Microbial Biostimulants as Response to Modern Agriculture Needs: Composition, Role and Application of These Innovative Products

“…Indeed, the sugar content affects the taste of fruit, thus modifying consumer satisfaction. Meanwhile, plant foods with high protein content are very appreciated, due to the limited distribution of these macromolecules within the plant kingdom [ 150 ]. Finally, the modern consumer is also interested in foods with enhanced nutraceutical properties.…”

Sustainability in the Case of Small Vegetable Farmers: A Matrix Approach

“…Fourthly, besides the issues related to product and price, producers should pay attention to all specific phases of taking a buying decision (problem recognition, information search, purchase, post-purchase evaluation) and thus run an effective promotional campaign for each stage and detail the strategic marketing plan without overlooking important elements of the buying decision process [65][66][67]. Accordingly, the promotion of the small vegetable production represents an activity that implies specific actions, namely promotion expenses, customers' loyalty, study of customers' attitude [68,69], brand name, and the ability to benefit from competitive advantages. These components are integrated into the economic dimension for a proper evaluation of the sustainability of a vegetable farm.…”