Determinants of Polish consumers' food choices and their implication for the national food industry

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to reveal factors underlying Polish consumers' food choices and particularly their perception of food quality attributes in relation to selected food products and points of sale and to reflect on the implication of shifting consumers' expectation towards food for the national food industry. Design/methodology/approach - The paper provides a review of previous research results relevant for the problem analyzed - emphasizing the results from the authors' own research conducted in the years 2000-2007 with the use of quantitative approach on representative in terms of gender, level of education, place of residence samples of Polish consumers. Findings - Polish consumers are more and more concerned with various food quality attributes and particularly sensory properties, healthiness and safety. They differentiate between quality of foodstuffs offered in various points of sale and have favorable opinions about specialized shops and tend to perceive the quality of food bought in super and hypermarkets as inferior. Perception of food quality is dependent on the product being assessed, and foodstuffs addressed to particular groups such has infants and people facing health problems were perceived as having high quality, while food with additives, highly processed and genetically modified was assessed as having low quality. Research limitations/implications - The results have implications for the Polish food sector in terms of highlighting the aspects related to food quality that influence Polish consumers' food choices. Originality/value - The paper provides a review of previous research results on Polish consumers relevant for the problem analyzed and give insights into Polish consumers' food choices and their perception of various quality cues. It is of value for the companies operating on the Polish food market and could be used for developing communication strategies and identification of future research areas.