engleski

Understanding natural and traditional products

Healthy lifestyle is no longer a preference of a niche consumer segment. According to Angus and Westbrook (2019), many of 2019 Global Consumer Trends are about consumers taking back control over their lives, e.g. moving away from overt materialism to simplicity, authenticity and individuality, buying local food from conscious producers or producing their own food, finding piece and solace away from digital chaos, and looking after their body, mind and soul. In such circumstances many market players, from small local entrepreneurs to multinational companies, build brands that communicate: natural ingredients, “free from” recipes, traditional or hand made production methods, organic products and similar. While, some of these concepts have clear standards granted to consumer by institutions and represented by labels, e.g. EUecolabel or Protected Origin Label (Borec et al., 2017) ; others, like natural ingredients or traditional recipe, are not legally defined and their use is less strictly controlled. Thus, they cause confusion for the consumers (Gifford & Bernard, 2011). Not only are consumers at risk, but so are small authentic producers who really use natural ingredients and exploit them in a traditional way and so protecting the ecosystem. Such producers usually lack resources and knowledge to brand themselves properly (Renton et al., 2016), not to mention applying for the standard labels. If, nevertheless, somehow they manage to develop brands, they cannot differentiate their brands from the multinational brands who wisely use the right words often deceiving consumers.

natural products, natural ingredients, traditional products, traditional recipe

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