Factors Affecting Food Consumers’ Behavior during COVID-19 in Romania

Autor: Iulia C. Muresan, Rezhen Harun, Anca Monica Brata, Vlad Dumitru Brata, Daniel I. Chiciudean, Olivia Paula Tirpe, Andra Porutiu, Diana E. Dumitras
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Foods, Vol 11, Iss 15, p 2275 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2304-8158
DOI: 10.3390/foods11152275
Popis: Crisis periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic may reshape consumers’ behavior and challenge all food chain actors on how to assure and better respond to consumers’ needs and wants. This study aimed to reveal the main concerns of consumers related to food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify factors that may influence their behavior. An online survey was performed among 859 Romanian consumers. The Principal Component Analysis revealed five factors: ecofriendly, socio-economic aspects, food waste, plant-based food, and easily accessible food, which affected consumers’ food behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was noticed that females tended to be more preoccupied with the socio-economic aspects and food waste components, compared to males. At the same time, older people were more concerned about the ecofriendly, socio-economic aspects and health concerns, compared with the younger group, the differences being statistically significant. These insights provide information on crucial aspects that shape consumers’ behavior during crisis periods.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals