Comparative analysis of honey consumption in Romania, Italy and Serbia

Abstract

Honey consumption is influenced by many factors such as health benefits, product characteristics, or demographic and sociological characteristics. The aim of the research was to identify factors that influence the volume of honey consumption, consumers' purchasing intentions, as well as to define the consumer profile in Romania, Italy, and Serbia. The research was conducted in the period from 2014 to 2016 through a questionnaire. The statistical significance of the difference in the consumption of honey in Serbia (Province of Vojvodina), Italy (the Province of Lombardy, which geographically resembles Vojvodina) and Romania was investigated. For the selection of a representative sample, random selection method was used, and the obtained data were processed using the SPSS program. The strongest motives for honey consumption were the satisfaction related to the taste honey provides and the perception that it is a healthy food. The chi-squared test showed that there was a significant difference among the countries in terms of demographic and economic characteristics of consumers, trends, and tendencies in the consumption of honey and sociological characteristics of consumers.

Keywords

• honey consumption
• consumer profile
• health aspect