Trends in nutrition: organic food

Abstract

Ekološki uzgoj se često, zbog ograničenja u vrstama i količini inputa te korištenja drugačijih metoda, predstavlja kao ekološki i zdravstveno prihvatljivija alternativa konvencionalnom uzgoju, iako ga mnogi smatraju suviše ezoteričnim i neefikasnim, a cjenovna premija ga čini privlačnim za patvorenje, što izaziva nepovjerenje prema ekološkim proizvodima kod potrošača. Unatoč tome, ekološki sektor bilježi strelovit rast na tržištu. Provedeno je istraživanje kojim se nastojalo utvrditi percepcije potrošača o ekološkoj hrani te navike kupovanja iste. Ukupno 167 ispitanika je dalo svoj odgovor u anketnom upitniku. Utvrđeno je da većina ispitanika ekološku hranu smatra zdravijom i boljom za okoliš, no ipak većina ispitanika (59,3%) je ne kupuje, za što navode cijenu kao najveću prepreku. Ispitane su i neke od navika ispitanika, na temelju kojih su navedene moguće implikacije i prilike za sudionike na tržištu ekološkom hranom.Organic farming is often considered to be more beneficial to human health and to the environment than conventional farming due to limitations in types and quantities of inputs and the use of different methods, even though critics may dismiss it as being esoteric and non-efficient, and the price premium makes it a fertile ground for counterfeit, which invokes trust issues in the consumer. Despite that, the organic market growth has been explosive in recent years. This research was conducted with an aim to determine consumer perception of organic food and their habits with buying organic food. A total of 167 respondents answered the questionnaire. Most of the respondents perceive organic food as healthier and better for the environment, but most (59,3%) do not buy organic food. Price was pointed out as the main reason for such behaviour. Some other buying and consuming habits have also been noted, along with their possible implications, which might be rendered useful to actors in the organic food market