Consumer Choice for Milk and Dairy in Romania: Does Income Really Have an Influence?

Diana Maria Ilie, Georgiana-Raluca Lădaru, Maria Claudia Diaconeasa and Mirela Stoian
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Diana Maria Ilie: The Agricultural Economics Office, Research Institute for Agriculture Economy and Rural Development, 010961 Bucharest, Romania
Georgiana-Raluca Lădaru: The Department of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010961 Bucharest, Romania
Maria Claudia Diaconeasa: The Department of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010961 Bucharest, Romania
Mirela Stoian: The Department of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010961 Bucharest, Romania

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: Milk and dairy are basic food products and their importance in healthy human development is well known. However, this does not mean that the consumers’ requests for these products are not evolving and fitting into the new context of sustainable development. By conducting a quantitative analysis on 847 answers regarding milk and dairy consumption offered by Romanian consumers, the objective of this study is to reveal what are the main factors of influence for respondents when choosing a milk or dairy product, and to see if these factors are evolving towards including sustainability-related aspects. The results point out that while price and store availability are still present as choice criteria, new aspects that might be related to a sustainable behavior, such as ecologic certification, country of origin or traditional products, are considered by the respondents when purchasing milk and dairy. However, this depends on the level of income; higher incomes allow respondents to consider new criteria.

Keywords: consumer behavior; milk and dairy choice; sustainable choice; influencing factors; income influence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:12204-:d:672697

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