Awareness and attitude of the population of the city of Varna to organic foods

Abstract

Introduction There is an increasing tendency towards demand for foods close to the traditional ones. The organic method of food production meets the needs of this growing group of consumers as it uses safe and transparent production methods. The consumers` awareness is a vital prerequisite for the use of organic foods. Aim The aim of the research is to determine the level of awareness of the population with regard to organic foods, which will help to make more conscious choice of environment-friendly products. Materials and Methods The research covered 100 adult users from Varna, randomly selected. A direct anonymous poll was conducted to identify the awareness and attitudes about the use of organic foods. The data are processed using statistical methods. Results and Discussion The research data show that a significant proportion of the population takes into account the positive impact of organic foods on human health (94%) and the environment (88%). The main reasons mentioned as an obstacle to consuming more organic foods are the high price (33%) and the lack of trust about the quality of these products in Bulgaria (21%). The full mandatory information on organic food labels remains completely impossible to understand for a major part of the population (28%). Conclusion The citizens of Varna have insufficient knowledge of organic food. Consumers need additional information on the importance of the data on the labels and how they can be checked.