Examination of consumer perception of sustainable food consumption by netnography

Abstract

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER

The present research aims to explore the attitudes of domestic online consumers towards sustainable nutrition. Do consumers see themselves as active participants in solving the problem, or rather as observers expect the solution from companies representing the food industry? Which steps have the consumers taken in the past to achieve sustainable food consumption?  How do they feel about the changes related to food consumption that have been introduced recently or are planned in the future (e.g., new types of packaging materials, no packaging, elimination of single-use plastic devices, implementation of a more sustainable diet)?

METHODOLOGY

The study was conducted with the help of netnography, examining the content about with sustainable nutrition on the Hungarian Facebook pages of companies present in Hungary.

MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS

On the one hand, the results illustrate the most common issues related to the implementation of sustainable nutrition. In addition, it explored how Hungarian online consumers feel about the activities and developments related to the sustainability of companies, e.g., new product packaging, innovative (mainly vegan) foods, and environmentally friendly solutions. Furthermore, which factors influence the purchasing prevail in food consumer behavior.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Consistent with the results in the literature, netnography also confirmed that the environmentally conscious factor is mostly present as an added value in the case of food. The purchasing decision was mainly influenced by health awareness, good taste, reliable quality, and the appropriate value for money. Thus, in the case of food consumption, it is important to combine environmental awareness with other factors during marketing communication, such as health, taste, quality or price.