Hungarian origin becoming more important

According to a 2007 survey by GfK Hungária about eating habits, the primary consumer requirement regarding food is good quality. Cheapness is no longer an important consideration for many consumers (score: 3.6), though the adequate price/value ratio remains important (score: 4.4). Consumers seem to be increasingly oriented towards buying products of Hungarian origin, compared to previous years. This is partly due to Hungarian products being perceived as more likely to be fresh and also to a degree of emotional preference. The importance of foreign origin scored only 1.8. Regarding health consciousness, the absence of preservatives (score: 3.5) seems to be as important as the absence of artificial flavouring (score: 3.6) and dyes (score: 3.5). Low fat content, low calorie and low carbohydrate content were also among the less important considerations, scoring 2.5-2.7. These are the criteria where the greatest difference between sexes can be detected with ladies paying more attention to these, while men regard these as being of secondary importance. “Bio” quality is also more important for ladies than gentlemen. One out of two Hungarians have three meals a day. The proportion of those who have four or more meals per day (37 per cent) is growing continuously. Lunch remains the most important meal for most people (64 per cent). Compared to 2005, the number of people who never have breakfast has grown to 9 per cent. Most people (66 per cent) continue to have a warm lunch. The greatest change compared to 2005 took place in the proportion of people who have a warm dinner every day (31 per cent) with an increase of 4 per cent. The proportion of people who never have a warm dinner has dropped from 15 per cent in 2005 to 13 per cent in 2007.