The Behavior of Dairy Consumers in Short Food Supply Chains during COVID-19 Pandemic in Suceava Area, Romania

Ioan Sebastian Brumă,Steliana Rodino,Sebastian Doboș,Alina Butu,Marian Butu,Gavril Stefan,Codrin Dinu Vasiliu,Oana Coca,Lucian Tanasă

doi:10.3390/su13063072

Abstract

In Romania, there is an emerging market of dairy products delivered through short food supply chains. Although this distribution system has existed since the communist period, and even though more than three decades have passed since then, the market fails to be mature, subject to taxation, or achieve a high diversity in terms of dairy categories, with a consolidated marketing culture that has significant effects on the regional socio-economic environment. The aim of this study was to observe whether the Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has influenced consumer behavior regarding dairy products delivered directly from producers in Suceava County, Romania. The research is based on a survey conducted between April and May, 2020, and the analysis relies on both quantitative and qualitative methods (namely, anthropological and ethnographic). From the provided responses, it a change was observed in the future buying behavior on short food supply chains, in a positive sense. One of the key findings was that family represents the main environment for passing on the values that influence the buying behavior. Another key finding was that the behavioral changes on the short food supply chains exert pressure on their digital transformations.

Highlights

Identifying the main data of the sociodemographic profile of the respondents (Table 2); identifying the main data on consumer behavior (Table 3); identifying the main data regarding the frequency of purchase, according to the categories of dairy products purchased (Table 4); identifying the main data on the digital purchasing behavior of respondents (Table 5)
While the usual family comprising spouses and children often lives with grandparents in Italy, Spain, Chile, Colombia, this is less common in Romania
As long as healthy eating behavior is one of the fundamental values in the private space of a family [42], the purchase of dairy products directly from the producer is perceived as a solution for compliance with these values

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Healthy and sustainable food is one of the most important challenges the modern human is facing currently [1]. Quality of life and environmental protection are increasingly reflected in consumer concerns, influencing purchasing behavior. During major health crises, purchasing behavior can be threatened as epidemics and pandemics have always had negative effects on food production, distribution chains, and food consumption [2,3,4,5,6]. Humanity is facing a new health crisis, the Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID19) pandemic, which has direct effects on food security, especially for the financially disadvantaged people or populations [7,8,9,10]

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Conclusion