Slovak consumers´ perception of bakery products and their offer in retails

Bakery products represents an important part of the diet and have an irreplaceable role in the proportion of nutrients, but their popularity in the diet of Slovak consumers continues to decline. For this reason it is necessary to address the issue of bakery products with regard to their consumption. The aim of the paper is to point out the development of consumption of bakery products in the Slovak Republic and to identify the main factors determining their purchase from the perspective of Slovak consumers. Secondary and primary data were used to meet this aim. Secondary data were obtained from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic in order to describe trends in consumption of selected foodstuffs in the period 2009 – 2018, as well as to predict the development of consumption of wheat and durable bread by 2020. The development of consumption is influenced by a number of factors, which may include, in particular, the price of products, the existence of substitution products, changes in eating habits and preferences of Slovak consumers, consumer health restrictions, as well as the taste factor. The primary data were obtained through consumer and business-oriented research in the Slovak Republic. The results of the consumer survey showed both rationality and irrationality in consumer decisions when buying bakery products. Rational aspects in the purchase of bakery products are factors of composition and durability. Irrationality in consumer behavior when buying can be accompanied by psychological factors, which include the perception of freshness of bakery products, the perception of prices, the perception of the country of origin, as well as sensory aspects such as taste. The achieved results were confronted with the results of a retail-oriented survey. The results showed that the commercial premises, when offering bakery products, mainly take into account the freshness, price and country of origin of selected foods