The Impact of the Food Labeling and Other Factors on Consumer Preferences Using Discrete Choice Modeling-The Example of Traditional Pork Sausage.

In our study, we examined whether product characteristics indicated by food labels matter in purchasing decisions for sausage made from traditional Hungarian mangalica pork; and how much consumers are willing to pay for them. On the other hand, we also tried to measure whether any changes in consumers' preferences occurred in recent years. Two product characteristics (label of origin and different mangalica meat content) and two other factors (place of purchase and price) are examined in a discrete choice experiment based on stated preference data. According to our expectations, government-funded consumer campaigns in recent years have had an impact on consumers purchase of this traditional product, and they pay more attention to food labels, which can also be influenced by sociodemographic characteristics. Our results have been compared to a previous choice-model based research, investigating consumers' attitude towards similar mangalica pork products. Three different types of models (multinomial logit, random parameter logit, and latent class) are employed, from which two types of models account for the heterogeneity in preferences. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the advertisements promoting traditional meat consumption had only a partial effect on consumer attitudes. Consumers clearly prefer the label of origin indicating meat from registered animals and purchasing on the farmers' market, but according to the indication of the different mangalica meat content in the product, we have already reached conflicting results. Three consumer segments were identified: "price sensitive, loyal to label, label neutral" based on latent class model estimates.

A modified model of the willingness to pay for functional foods.

The aim of this research was to develop a modified version of the Munene model summarizing the factors influencing willingness to pay for functional foods, adjusted to the Hungarian population. The questionnaire survey was conducted in 2014 in Hungary on a sample of 500 individuals, representative for gender, age, settlement type and region. Building blocks of the Munene model were examined and tested with a Latent Variable Path Analysis with the Partial Least Squares (LVPLS) model. According to the results, the strongest relationship in the modified model was identified between attitudes towards, and beliefs about, the attributes of functional foods, i.e. the more consumers believe in the health protecting effect of functional foods, the more positive their attitudes towards those foods, and the more they are willing to pay a premium for them. The highest explanatory power in the model was attributed to the attitudes towards functional foods, followed by beliefs about the attributes of functional foods, and then by consumer demographics. The modification of the original Munene model based on a Hungarian sample contributes to an examination of its usability and provides an example of how it can fit to another culture. Moreover, a comprehensive model including factors influencing WTP has not yet been developed among Hungarian consumers.

Adaptation of the Food Choice Questionnaire: the case of Hungary.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of the original 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) model developed by Steptoe et al. (1995) in Hungary. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The national representative questionnaire involved 1,050 individuals in Hungary in 2015. Several multivariable statistical techniques were applied for the analysis of the data: confirmatory factor analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster and Log-linear analysis. FINDINGS: The results indicate that the original nine-factor model is only partially applicable to Hungary. This study successfully managed to distinguish the following factors: health and natural content, mood, preparation convenience, price and purchase convenience, sensory appeal, familiarity, and ethical concern. The FCQ scales proved to be suitable for the description of clusters based on specific food choices and demographic characteristics. By using the factors, the following five clusters were identified: modern food enthusiast, tradition-oriented, optimizer, easy-choice and un-concerned, all of which could be addressed by public health policy with individually tailored messages. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The Hungarian testing process of the FCQ model contributes to an examination of its usability and provides the possibility of fitting the model to different cultures.