Characteristics of Organic Food Buyers in Hungary - The Case of the Ökopiac

Kertész, Lili Rebeka – Török, Áron

Keywords: organic food, farmers’ market, consumer attitudes, Q12, Q13

With the spread of a healthy and environmentally conscious lifestyle, special and functional foods have gained more space, especially in the case of organically produced products. The popularity of organic products among consumers is now indisputable. Consumption of organic products has grown steadily in recent years, both globally and domestically; however, a notable difference lies in the extent of the growth trend. In Hungary, at present, only a small consumer segment seeks organic foods regularly. Within this, the proportion of those who purchase products at a produce market is almost negligible.
only a few markets in Hungary are specialized in the supply of organic products, and only three such markets are located in Budapest. In our study, we examined the largest domestic organic market (Biokultúra Ökopiac). We found that the regular customers here are mainly upper-middle-class women from Budapest, mostly buying cereals, vegetables and fruits, typically for more than HUF 25,000 per month. These consumers visit the Ökopiac regularly, but they also do their shopping in supermarkets, discount stores and organic grocery stores. The customers of Ökopiac are much more informed about the various food labels than the Hungarian average, and they also consciously buy these foods, even though the typical price level of Ökopiac products is substantially higher, even compared to other organic food sources.

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