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Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior in Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Maramures County, Romania

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  • Gratiela Dana Boca

    (Department of Economics and Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Technical University Cluj-Napoca, 76 Victoriei Street, 430122 Baia-Mare, Romania)

Abstract

The article explores consumer behavior in the context of sustainable consumption and the changes related to healthy food that have occurred during the pandemic. The study seeks to identify the factors that influenced consumer behavior on the consumption of fruits and vegetables. For this purpose, a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 1230 people from Maramures County, Romania. This study evaluates consumer behavior and attitudes on sustainable healthy food consumption; determining factors of consumer behavior are established by the needs, knowledge, selection of quality products, and the degree of culture and education in health diet issues. The study also presents a specific classification for fruits and vegetables in terms of consumer preferences and the clustering of local consumers by their interest in healthy food habits according to consumer culture, consumer loyalty, consumer needs, and consumer knowledge. In this study, it was revealed that consumer behavior consumption is not influenced by age, gender, or education. As a result of the correlation analysis, a positive relation was identified between the consumer preference, consumer attitude, and consumer behavior variables. The results of this study offer practical solutions and directions for future research on redesigning sustainable development of local, traditional foods. The new trend focuses on brand offerings and consumer needs for quality food and shows the consumer’s ethnocentrism and orientation for practical solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Gratiela Dana Boca, 2021. "Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior in Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Maramures County, Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1812-:d:495417
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ivan Jajić & Tomislav Herceg & Mirjana Pejić Bach, 2022. "Deployment of the Microeconomic Consumer Theory in the Artificial Neural Networks Modelling: Case of Organic Food Consumption," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(17), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Seung-hye Jung & Joon-ho Kim & Ha-na Cho & Hae-won Lee & Hyun-ju Choi, 2021. "Brand Personality of Korean Dance and Sustainable Behavioral Intention of Global Consumers in Four Countries: Focusing on the Technological Acceptance Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-19, October.
    4. Gabriel Popescu & Nicolae Istudor & Alina Zaharia & Maria-Claudia Diaconeasa & Ioana Panait & Marian-Cătălin Cucu, 2021. "A Macroeconomic Review of the Factors Influencing Fruit Consumption in Romania—The Road towards Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-18, November.
    5. Giuseppina Migliore & Giuseppina Rizzo & Giorgio Schifani & Giuseppe Quatrosi & Luigi Vetri & Riccardo Testa, 2021. "Ethnocentrism Effects on Consumers’ Behavior during COVID-19 Pandemic," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, October.
    6. Ioan Sebastian Brumă & Simona-Roxana Ulman & Cristina Cautisanu & Lucian Tanasă & Gabriel Vasile Hoha, 2021. "Sustainability in the Case of Small Vegetable Farmers: A Matrix Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-32, September.

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