‘Let’s make tasty food healthier’

Freshness is important, being organic isn’t

Guest author:
Andrea Földvári
senior consultant
GfK

If we take a closer look at consumer attitudes about eating, what we see is that consciousness can be observed on a daily basis. This is most palpable in giving priority to fresh products, but more than half of households avoid genetically modified food, take vitamins and minerals, etc. Hungarian consumers aren’t really into buying organic food, most probably because these products are more expensive.

When buying food, freshness and taste are the top priorities. People also like it if there are useful nutrients in the product or and if it is made of quality ingredients. Shoppers like to buy Hungarian as well. However, consumers also want groceries to be cheap and to have a long shelf life – and this poses a great challenge to food companies. As for the use of preservatives in food products: 40 percent of respondents are neither for nor against these, while half of the remaining 60 percent don’t want preservatives in the food they eat, while the other half doesn’t mind if they appear on the list of ingredients.

Special diets

A healthy diet isn’t only a question of decision, but often a necessity. The general health of Hungarians isn’t very good, for instance many people suffer from cardiovascular diseases, obesity or digestion problems. If someone in a family follows a healthy diet, typically it is a weight loss, low calorie or sugar-free diet – one of these can be found in 20 percent of households. These are followed by the low-carb and lactose-free diets as regards frequency. It is in gluten-intolerant households where the special diet is taken the most seriously. Women are more open to various diets and special foods; the only exception is products fortified with protein, which are eaten more often by men.

Health consciousness grows with age

Generally speaking we can say that health status, the level of education and a conscious, active lifestyle have the biggest influence on our diets. Better educated consumers and those with a higher salary tend to pay more attention to eating healthy, while those with a lower level of education or income tend to prioritise taste instead. The most conscious consumers differ from the average in that they try to have as much fruit and vegetable as possible, they plan what they will eat in advance and they are willing to pay a higher price for groceries that are healthy. It seems that people focus more and more on eating healthy as they are getting older.

Our study on dietary habits is published in 2021 too. Topics include health consciousness, the relationship between eating habits and eco-friendliness, locally produced and plant-based foods, cooking habits and out-of-home eating. //