An Analysis of Mushroom Consumption in Hungary in the International Context

• Published in: Agriculture (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 7; p. 677
• Main Authors: Bringye, Bernadett, Fekete-Farkas, Maria, Vinogradov, Szergej
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2021
• Subjects: 19th century; 20th century; Agricultural economics; Business administration; Cluster analysis; consumer behavior; Consumer groups; consumer segmentation; Consumers; Diet; diet and health issues; Environmental impact; Factor analysis; Farming; Food; Food sources; functional food; Marketing; Meat; mushroom production and consumption; Mushrooms; Nutrient content; Nutritive value; Proteins; Quality of life; Small & medium sized enterprises-SME; sustainability; Sustainable development; Hungary; France; United States > US; China
• ISSN: 2077-0472; 2077-0472
• DOI: 10.3390/agriculture11070677

It is hardly an exaggeration to state that producing and consuming mushrooms may provide an answer to several of the challenges facing mankind. This research is related to the UN sustainable development goals relative to different issues. First of all, mushroom production uses agricultural and industrial byproducts as inputs and being labor intensive contributes to the job and income creation for undereducated people in less developed areas. In addition, as mushrooms have high protein content and they are a suitable alternative for meat for populations with a diet lacking in variety; at the same time, they also have the potential for food connoisseurs and consumers who make conscious and educated choices to improve their diet by using healthful and environmentally friendly methods. The nutritional value of mushrooms means that consumption could be an important supplementary therapy for several illnesses. The key issue of sector development is the increasing demand. In order to address this, investigation and research related to consumer behavior is needed. The aim of this research was to explore the dimensions of Hungarian mushroom consumer behavior and to segment Hungarian consumers. An online questionnaire survey was conducted between December 2019 and February 2020 and the final sample of 1768 respondents was considered for the purposes of analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify groups of correlating variables describing mushroom consumption. The authors identified four dimensions of Hungarian mushroom consumer behavior: (1) medicinal and functional properties, (2) consumption for enjoyment, (3) supplementary food source, and (4) negative assessment of the product range. Using cluster analysis, three consumer groups were identified: (1) health-conscious consumers, (2) indifferent consumers, and (3) average consumers. The research results indicated that consumers’ sociodemographic characteristics (age, educational level, marital status, and place of residence) have a significant impact on mushroom consumption behavior. The results of this paper can have implications for policy makers and business management in diversifying their production and selecting marketing tools.