The phenomenon of organic food and its value for the slovenian consumers

Ekološko pridelana živila so danes prisotna v tako rekoč vseh slovenskih trgovinah in med potrošniki veljajo za bolj kakovostno in bolj zdravo izbiro od konvencionalno pridelanih živil. Potrošniki jim pripisujejo številne lastnosti, ki sicer niso vselej povezane z njihovim načinom pridelave, vendar igrajo ključno vlogo pri odločitvi za nakup. V tem delu smo predstavili običajne poglede potrošnikov na fenomen ekološko pridelane hrane, njihovo ozaveščenost o ponudbi tovrstnih izdelkov pri nas, njihovo dejansko ozaveščenost o ekološki pridelavi hrane in označevanju ekoloških živil, njihove nakupovalne navade ter dejavnike, ki vplivajo na nakupovalne odločitve. Diplomsko delo je razdeljeno na teoretični in empirični del. Teoretični del diplomskega dela predstavlja teoretično osnovo za naše raziskovanje. Predstavili smo načela in cilje ekološke pridelave hrane ter njene zakonodajne vidike v slovenskem in evropskem prostoru. Spoznali smo osnove certificiranja ekoloških izdelkov in uradne oznake, ki potrošnikom zagotavljajo, da so živila pridelana na ekološki način. V nadaljevanju smo predstavili ugotovitve tujih raziskovalcev o odločilnih dejavnikih v procesu nakupa ekoloških živil — kaj je potrošnikom najpomembneje, ko izbirajo, kupujejo in uživajo ekološko pridelano hrano. Na podlagi analize obstoječih raziskav iz tujine smo sestavili okvirni profil tipičnega potrošnika ekoloških živil. V empiričnem delu diplomskega dela smo v prvi fazi opravili analizo slovenskega trga z ekološkimi živili. Odpravili smo se v štiri različne tipe trgovin z živili: market, supermarket, diskontno prodajalno in specializirano prodajalno z zdravo prehrano. Ugotavljali smo, kako pestra je ponudba ekoloških izdelkov, kako so postavljeni na prodajne police, kako so ločeni od preostale ponudbe, kako so označene police in kakšne oznake so na samih izdelkih. S tem smo želeli podrobneje spoznati okolje, v katerem potrošniki sprejemajo nakupovalne odločitve in ponudbo izdelkov, med katerimi lahko izbirajo. V drugem delu empiričnega dela diplomskega dela smo opravili spletno anketno raziskavo, v kateri je sodelovalo 97 anonimnih udeležencev. Cilj anketne raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kako pogosto udeleženci kupujejo ekološko pridelano hrano, kateri so njihovi običajni motivi za nakup, kako dobro poznajo ekološko pridelavo in ali prepoznavajo uradne oznake, ki označujejo ekološka živila. Zanimalo nas je, ali zaupajo tem oznakam, kje dobivajo informacije o ekoloških živilih ter ali ima ekološka hrana po njihovem mnenju kakšne pomanjkljivosti. Na podlagi demografskih podatkov in informacij o njihovih nakupovalnih navadah v povezavi z drugimi vrstami ekoloških izdelkov (kozmetika, izdelki za gospodinjstvo in osebno nego, oblačila) smo ugotavljali, ali profil rednega kupca ekoloških izdelkov tudi v praksi ustreza prej določenim teoretičnim izhodiščem. Ugotovili smo, da igrajo najpomembnejšo vlogo v nakupovalnem procesu osebne vrednote potrošnikov (skrb za zdravje, okolijska ozaveščenost, želja po uživanju lokalno pridelane hrane) in cena. Redni potrošniki so dobro ozaveščeni o ekološki pridelavi in uradnih oznakah, medtem ko ozaveščenost in zaupanje v ekološko pridelano hrano upada sorazmerno s pogostostjo kupovanja prav teh. Za izboljšanje splošne ozaveščenosti potrošnikov o ekološki pridelavi hrane in za preprečevanje zavajanja potrošnikov s strani proizvajalcev neekološko pridelane hrane ter trgovcev bi bilo treba izboljšati tržne strategije na nacionalni ravni ter vzpostaviti sistem izobraževanja slovenskih potrošnikov v medijih in izobraževalnih ustanovah. Diplomsko delo je torej dobra podlaga za razvoj novih marketinških strategij in nacionalnih izobraževalnih programov za promocijo ekološko pridelane hrane v Slovenskem prostoru.Today organically produced food is widely present in practically all Slovenian stores and is believed to be of higher quality and healthier than conventionally produced food. Consumers apply many attributes to organically produced food, which are not always associated with the production process itself, but have a major role in the decision making process when buying organic food. We have introduced the typical views of consumers regarding the phenomena od organically produced food, their awareness about the range of products available on the Slovenian market, their actual awareness about the process of organic food production and official certificates that mark these products, their buying habits and the key factors that influence their decisions to buy. This thesis is divided into the theoretical and empirical part. The first part of the thesis represents the theoretic basis of our research. We have presented the principles and goals of organic food production and the European and Slovenian legislative aspects regarding this topic. We have learned about the basics of certification of organic products and the official signs that ensure to the consumers that the products are produced organically. Hereinafter we’ve presented the finding of other researchers about the key deciding factors in the process of buying organic food – what is the most important factor to consumers when choosing, buying and consuming organic food. Based on the analysis of existing studies from abroad, we’ve assembled a rough profile of the typical organic food consumer. In the empirical part of the thesis, we first conducted an analysis of the Slovenian organic market. We headed to four different types of grocery stores: market, supermarket, discount shop and a specialized healthy food shop. We determined how varied the range of organic products is in each of them, how the products are placed on the shelves, how are they separated from other groceries, how are the shelves marked and how are the products themselves marked as organic. By doing this, we wanted to get to know the environment where our consumers make their buying decisions and the range of products among which they get to choose. In the second part of the empirical part of the thesis, we conducted an online survey with 97 anonymous participants. The goal of this research was to find out how often do the participants buy organic food, what are their usual motives for buying organic products, how well are they acquainted with the organic food production process and whether they recognize the official signs that mark these foods. We were curious about whether they trust these signs, where they usually obtain information about organic foods and whether they think organic foods have any shortcomings. On the basis of demographical info and the information about their buying habits regarding other organic products (cosmetics, personal care products, household products, clothes) we have found whether the profile of the typical organic food consumer matches the previously set theoretical base. We concluded that personal values (such as health, environmental awareness, preference for locally produced food) and price have the biggest influence on the buying decision. Regular buyers are well aware of the process of organically produced food and know the official signs well. However the awareness and trust levels for organic food decrease with the regularity of purchase. To increase the general awareness of consumers regarding organic food production and to prevent non-organic food manufacturers and vendors from deceiving consumers, better marketing strategies and a system of consumer education should be established nationwide. This thesis is therefore a good basis for the development of new marketing strategies and national educational programs for Slovenian consumers to promote the consumption of organically produced food