LOCAL PRODUCTS WITHIN SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS IN HUNGARY

In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in local products which are a major field of short supply chains. A considerable amount of literature has been published on SFSCs, which mainly deal with the benefits and detriments of this kind of cooperation. Being regarded as the aim and focal point of this current scrutiny, SFSCs are especially studied in the context of producing and selling local products and whether they can be viewed as the most favorable way of distributing locally generated (food) products. Within that category major emphasis should be placed on farmer markets and community supported agriculture systems considering both consumers and producers. It has been put forth that the number of such organizations would indicate an increasing tendency in Hungary in line with their growing role in the trade of local products. Relying on data from multiple databases, both traditional and neo-traditional forms of SFSCs have been shown to be viable in Hungary, although, as in other Central and Eastern European countries in terms of numbers, traditional SFSC types play a decisive role, in particular local farmer markets. As a result of the study, besides these forms, the formation and aid of neo-traditional organizations is considered to be useful for stakeholders in order to exploit the potential of short supply chains