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Consumers’ attitudes towards the origin of bakery products in Croatia

Bakery products in Croatia as foods of high nutritional value, due to the busily lifestyle and price affordability, represent a basic foodstaff and an everyday part of the diet. According to the data from Croatian chamber of Economy, the average consumption of bakery products per inhabitant is 62 kg, which is 15.1% of the total expenditure on food. The aim of the research was to determine the opinions of consumers regarding the origin of bakery products and the influence of this information on the choice of buying these products. The research was conducted in 2021 on the territory of the Republic of Croatia using the CAWI quantitative research method on a representative sample of 1, 022 adult respondents. The obtained research results confirmed a high level of purchase and consumption of bakery products, as well as a high level of awareness of the presence of semi-finished frozen mostly imported products on our market. Data analysis revealed that 70% of consumers are familiar with the country of origin of bakery products, and equally, 80% of them emphasized the importance of indicating the country of origin of the product. Further analysis indicates that 64% of the respondents do not base their knowledge about the origin of the product on the information on the product, but on the assumption that bakery products are always produced locally. A total of 92% of consumers believe that information about the origin of bakery products should be highlighted at the point of sale, and they associate the information about the origin with factors of product quality and freshness. In accordance with the results of the research, it can be concluded that when buying bread and bakery products, consumers have certain expectations that they associate with the quality and freshness of the product, and indirectly with the country of origin. This indicates that it is necessary to clearly and unambiguously inform consumers about the country of origin of bakery products, through recognizable labeling, as a confirmation of proof of traceability, quality and freshness of bakery products, but also awareness of the advantages of domestic products in the economic aspect, as a contribution to the sustainability and growth of domestic production.

bakery products, country of origin, labelling, consumers’ attitudes

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