Consumer perception of local food products in Hungary  Agnes Szegedyne Fricz Szent Istvan University, Budapest, Hungary Andras Ittzes Szent Istvan University, Budapest, Hungary and Budapest Business School – University of Applied Sciences, Budapest, Hungary Laszlo  Ozsvari University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary, and David Szakos and Gyula Kasza Risk Management Directorate, National Food Chain Safety Office, Budapest, Hungary Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of local origin of food in the Hungarian population’s decisions regarding food purchase and to identify under which conditions consumers consider food to be a local product. Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on a representative quantitative consumer survey (n 5 1,000). Cluster analysis was used to define different consumer groups. Findings – In general, consumers perceive that local products have positive characteristics that distinguish them from not locally sourced foodstuffs. The results prove that the accessibility of local food products differs to a great extent in towns and regions. In towns with local markets, the ratio of recognition and acceptance of local products is higher. Based on the attitudes and behaviour of respondents towards local products, five clusters were separated and described. Research limitations/implications – Although the sample’s representativeness of three demographic factors was ensured, some general limitations resulted from the sampling methodology. Practical implications – Based on the study findings, the authors encourage farmers’ market operators to actively study the purchasing habits, attitudes and expectations of the consumer groups described in the study and to exchange information to promote the development of an economically successful local food supply system. Originality/value – This empirical representative study is suitable to describe the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of Hungarian consumers related to local food products. Consumer perception about local food varies internationally; therefore, national level studies are important to understand the viability of short food supply chains. Keywords Local products, Local food system, Consumer survey, Cluster analysis, Hungarian food culture Paper type Research paper Introduction The role of the local food products During the revision of the quality systems of agricultural products and foodstuffs, consumer studies were carried out by the Joint Research Centre in the European Union (EU). According to this report (Kneafsey et al., 2013), the majority of consumers would prefer to purchase both fresh and processed local products directly from the farmer. For example, in France, 60% of the respondents indicated that they buy farm product “frequently”, and 79% answered that they would like to buy more. In Hungary, the results showed that 69% purchase farm products on a regular basis, and 100% of the respondents indicated that they would like to buy more local food if they had the chance. These studies also clearly show that the category of local product has a different definition among the member states of the EU, which can derive from the structure of certain countries’ agricultural economy, cultural differences and geographical diversity. Consumer perception of local food products The authors would like to thank the Risk Management Directorate of the National Food Chain Safety Office for the support in data collection. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0007-070X.htm Received 17 July 2019 Revised 24 January 2020 30 March 2020 Accepted 31 March 2020 British Food Journal © Emerald Publishing Limited 0007-070X DOI 10.1108/BFJ-07-2019-0528