Vegan diet - trend or necessity

Rad Veganska prehrana – trend ili potreba bavi se proučavanjem fenomena životnog stila potrošača vegana. Proučava na koji način vrijednosti i motivi utječu na njihove kupovne odluke, a to je uz teorijski dio obrađeno i putem vlastitog istraživanja autorice. Danas suvremeni potrošači mijenjaju svoje navike i više vode brigu o zdravlju. Globalna pandemija virusa SARS-Cov-2 dodatno je osvijestila važnost zdravog organizma i jakog imuniteta. Pravilna prehrana jedan je od ključnih preduvjeta zdravlja. Kako bi se prehrana mogla planirati na način da organizmu pruži sve potrebne hranjive tvari važno je razumjeti smjernice pravilne prehrane te funkciju, izvore i količinu potrebnih nutrijenata. Kao osobe određuju nas interni i eksterni čimbenici. Eksterni čimbenici su naša životna okolina, društvo kojem pripadamo, kultura, obitelj i druge društvene grupe s kojima dijelimo iste interese. Dok su interni čimbenici upravo motivi koji nas pokreću na akciju, komplicirani sklop emocija i obilježja ličnosti. Sve navedno definira životni stil. Ljudi po definiciji nisu vegani, oduvijek su životinje bile sastavni dio ljudske prehrane. Međutim, upravo pod utjecajem internih i eksternih čimbenika ljudi svjesno odlučuju o životnom stilu koji će slijediti. Etički motivi poput brige za dobrobit životinja, najsnažniji su motivatori za prelazak na veganstvo. Proivodnja veganskih proizvoda jedan je od najvećih i najbrže rastučih trendova u prehrambenoj industriji posljednjih nekoliko godina. Apeli kojima se marketinški stručnjaci obraćaju potrošačima upravo su zdravlje, pozitivni utjecaji na okoliš te neiskorištavanje životinja za prehranu ljudi. Time se uz vegane pokušava doseći i šira skupina potrošača, posebno fleksitarijanaca koji pokušavaju smanjiti unos namirnica životinjskog porijekla. Uzevši u obzir životni stil, utjecaj veganstva na zdravlje, okoliš i trenutne trendove u prehrambenoj industriji, ovim radom se pokušava utvrditi da li je veganstvo samo trenutni trend ili stvarna potreba.The paper Vegan Diet - Trend or Need deals with the study of the lifestyle phenomenon of vegan consumers. It studies how values and motives influence their purchasing decisions, and this is dealt with in addition to the theoretical part through the author's own research. Today, modern consumers are changing their habits and taking more care of their health. The global SARS-Cov-2 virus pandemic has further raised awareness of the importance of a healthy body and strong immunity. Proper nutrition is one of the key precondition for health. In order to plan a diet in a way that provides the body with all the necessary nutrients, it is important to understand the guidelines of proper nutrition and the function, sources and amount of nutrients needed. As individuals, we are determined by internal and external factors. External factors are our environment, the society to which we belong, culture, family and other social groups with whom we share the same interests. While internal factors are precisely the motives that move us to action, the complex set of emotions and personality traits. All of the above define the lifestyle. Humans by definition are not vegans, animals have always been an integral part of the human diet. However, it is under the influence of internal and external factors that people around the world decide on the lifestyle they will follow. Ethical motives like caring for animal welfare are the strongest motivators for coming to veganism. The production of vegan products is one of the biggest and fastest growing trends in the food industry in recent years. The appeals by which marketing professionals comunicate with consumers are precisely health, the positive environmental impacts and not using animals for human consumption. In addition to vegans, this is an attempt to reach a wider group of consumers, especially flexitarians who are trying to reduce the intake of food of animal origin. Taking into account the lifestyle, the impact of veganism on health, the environment and current trends in the food industry, this paper attempts to determine whether veganism is just a current trend or a real need