Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro

The main objective of this study was to investigate how food fraud is perceived among consumers in Serbia and Montenegro. A total of 1264 consumers from the two countries participated in an online survey during the second half of 2022, using Google forms<sup>®</sup>. In the Serbian popul...

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Main Authors: Ilija Djekic, Nada Smigic
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-12-01
Series:Foods
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/1/53
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author Ilija Djekic
Nada Smigic
author_facet Ilija Djekic
Nada Smigic
author_sort Ilija Djekic
collection DOAJ
description The main objective of this study was to investigate how food fraud is perceived among consumers in Serbia and Montenegro. A total of 1264 consumers from the two countries participated in an online survey during the second half of 2022, using Google forms<sup>®</sup>. In the Serbian population, older or highly educated respondents are aware of different types of fraudulent activities such as substitution, mislabeling, concealment, and counterfeiting. Dilution is mostly recognized by women, the younger population, and students. Consumers believe that trust is the most important factor when purchasing food. The highest level of agreement regarding food fraud is that such activities may pose serious health risks to consumers, and that food inspection services are the most responsible actors in the food chain continuum. When it comes to purchasing food, open green markets are most trustworthy, followed by hypermarkets. Concerning the types of food, fish is most susceptible to fraud, followed by olive oil. This study builds upon existing knowledge of food consumers about food fraud in Europe.
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spelling doaj.art-46e4e8ded04043389fdbea07853aee5d2024-01-10T14:56:45ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582023-12-011315310.3390/foods13010053Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and MontenegroIlija Djekic0Nada Smigic1Department of Food Safety and Quality Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, SerbiaDepartment of Food Safety and Quality Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, SerbiaThe main objective of this study was to investigate how food fraud is perceived among consumers in Serbia and Montenegro. A total of 1264 consumers from the two countries participated in an online survey during the second half of 2022, using Google forms<sup>®</sup>. In the Serbian population, older or highly educated respondents are aware of different types of fraudulent activities such as substitution, mislabeling, concealment, and counterfeiting. Dilution is mostly recognized by women, the younger population, and students. Consumers believe that trust is the most important factor when purchasing food. The highest level of agreement regarding food fraud is that such activities may pose serious health risks to consumers, and that food inspection services are the most responsible actors in the food chain continuum. When it comes to purchasing food, open green markets are most trustworthy, followed by hypermarkets. Concerning the types of food, fish is most susceptible to fraud, followed by olive oil. This study builds upon existing knowledge of food consumers about food fraud in Europe.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/1/53fraudulent activitiestypes of food fraudconsumer awarenessconsumer trust
spellingShingle Ilija Djekic
Nada Smigic
Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro
Foods
fraudulent activities
types of food fraud
consumer awareness
consumer trust
title Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro
title_full Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro
title_fullStr Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro
title_full_unstemmed Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro
title_short Consumer Perception of Food Fraud in Serbia and Montenegro
title_sort consumer perception of food fraud in serbia and montenegro
topic fraudulent activities
types of food fraud
consumer awareness
consumer trust
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/1/53
work_keys_str_mv AT ilijadjekic consumerperceptionoffoodfraudinserbiaandmontenegro
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