LUCRĂRI ŞTIINŢIFICE, SERIA I, VOL. XXII (3) 43 STUDY OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCT CONSUMPTION HABITS RUZSA DZSENIFER MARIA 1 , BODNAR KAROLY* 1 1 Szent Istvan University, Szarvas, Hungary *Corresponding author’s e-mail: bodnarkaroly.dr@gmail.com Abstract: The consumers’ attitudes to milk and dairy products were studied in this survey. The data of the completed questionnaires (n=212) were processed using IBM SPSS 25, correlation analysis and cross-tabulation analysis was used. The majority of respondents are familiar with several domestic and foreign brands of milk and dairy products, although they are often unable to accurately identify the affiliation of the brand by name. Data show that those who find the price of milk high also find the price of dairy products expensive. This correlation shows a close significant relationship (r=0.621). Those who found the price of milk high are not willing to pay more for the Hungarian product either. Key words: milk, dairy product, consumers’ attitude, brand preference, local product INTRODUCTION Nowadays, the food market is saturated. Under these circumstances, the importance of food marketing has grown exponentially. In recent years, several surveys have been conducted on the eating habits of Hungarian consumers. According to the estimates of the Milk Product Council, in 2003 the per capita consumption of milk and dairy products together with self-consumption was 160 liters of milk equivalent in Hungary. Consumption in the EU countries is about twice as high [14]. According to surveys, Hungary is still at the end of the European field in terms of cheese consumption, with only Romania consuming less cheese than ours. One reason could be the increasement of the purchase price of milk and traditional dairy products not only in Timis County, but the trend is the same in whole Romania [11]. Slovak consumers also buy dairy products on a very low level compared to other EU countries [8]. The consumption of milk and dairy products by Hungarian consumers is determined by their income and advertisements. They mostly look for and buy the cheaper category mass products, ignoring their composition. The supply of dairy products in Hungary is unfavorable for the Hungarian economy, as the proportion of imported products is 20-80% [1]. In developed Western European countries, a process began in the late 1980s to increase the demand for regionally produced foods produced in the traditional way with multi-generational experience. Today, it can be observed in Hungary that locally produced, processed products are becoming more and more important for consumers. Gradually, the group of conscious buyers who prefer short supply chains and local products over bulk goods is gradually growing [2]. Small scale milk producers can sell milk by milk vending machines as a form of direct distribution channel [15]. The behavior, mindset and attitudes of consumers must not be forgotten, as taking them into account, as with traditional foods, is essential for functional food consumption. Consumer acceptance of functional foods can be divided into three main factors: consumer characteristics, purchasing position and product characteristics [12]. Those consemers who prefer purchasing milk and dairy product complain of high prices, but other main factors influencing of consumption are quality, shelf life and composition [7]. The motivation of consumers of organic milk is rooted in the beliefs in animal welfare, sustainability of the environment, nutritional adventages or support of local farms [5]. The origin of the milk is important in most of the cases among elderly people [13].