Consumer Attitudes and Preferences towards Traditional Food Products in Vojvodina

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify consumers’ attitudes about the consumption and certification of traditional food products, special characteristics to which they pay attention when buying food products, and their opinions regarding what traditional food products are to them. The research was based on an online questionnaire conducted on a sample of 540 respondents in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The results showed that 98.3% of the respondents consume traditional food products in their households, 95.2% of the consumers decide to buy food products based on their quality, and 68.2% of the consumers believe that certain types of certification can improve product placement on the market. The specific characteristics that consumers mostly prioritize when buying food products are products with no added sugar (41.2%), traditional production processes (38.8%), GMO-free products (36.9%), organic products (36.4%), and additive-free products (34.9%). The results of this research indicate that consumers primarily perceive traditional food products as items produced using traditional methods (72.8%), characterized by the absence of additives (53.2%), specific to a certain geographic area (49.9%), sourced from small farms or facilities (49.5%), and products with long production tradition (49%).