Potravinarstvo Slovak Journal of Food Sciences Potravinarstvo Slovak Journal of Food Sciences vol. 14, 2020, p. 798-806 https://doi.org/10.5219/1404 Received: 26 May 2020. Accepted: 2 August 2020. Available online: 28 September 2020 at www.potravinarstvo.com © 2020 Potravinarstvo Slovak Journal of Food Sciences, License: CC BY 3.0 ISSN 1337-0960 (online) THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR OF SLOVAK MILLENNIALS IN THE SEGMENT OF MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS WITHIN PRIVATE LABELS Ingrida Košičiarová, Zdenka Kádeková, Ľubica Kubicová, Jana Rybanská ABSTRACT Despite the fact that the dairy industry has an important position in the food industry (with an 18% share in its total production and sales), dairy businesses are currently struggling with low consumption of milk and dairy products. According to most researchers, the low consumption of milk and dairy products is mainly due to poor eating habits and, last but not least, insufficient promotion of these products. There is also an opportunity for private labels, which are recently on the rise, for which milk and dairy products are the most commonly purchased category of food. This paper aimed to find out how Slovak millennials perceive private labels, in which categories they buy them, what motivates them and on the contrary, discourages them from the purchase, etc. As the main research method, there was chosen the method of anonymous questionnaire survey involving 549 respondents from all over Slovakia; which was subsequently supplemented with a blind test. The submitted results of research declared that our goals were fulfilled and the following conclusions can be stated: Slovak millennials buy private labels in particular in the category of milk and dairy products, perceive private labels as an adequate alternative to their purchase and when purchasing milk and dairy products, they are mostly influenced by recommendations of family and friends and the tasting. Keywords: private labels; millennials; milk and milk products; blind test INTRODUCTION The dairy industry has an important position in the food industry of the Slovak Republic, as it accounts for 18% of its total production and sales. Like production, sales are mostly influenced by the evolution of raw cow's milk prices on both, European and world markets. Prices had a significant impact on the industry in 2009 – 2010, as there were observed sharp fluctuations – while 2009 brought to the dairy sector a profit of 2.8 million €; in 2010, it showed a loss of 7.3 mil. €. The following years did not bring any change and it can be said that the sector is loss-making (MPRV SR, 2018). The average purchase price of raw cow's milk was the lowest in 2009 when it was around 20.82 €/100 kg. The highest price was reached in 2014, at 33.82 €/100 kg. While the development of average purchase prices of raw cow's milk excluding VAT is in the graphical form shown in Figure 1, Figure 2 shows the production of milk and dairy products in the Slovak Republic. The raw cow's milk production showed a fluctuating trend over the considered period between 2009 and 2019. The highest production was achieved in 2012 at the level of 959.4 thous. t. On the contrary, the lowest milk production was in 2010, namely 918 thous. t. Despite the fact that milk and dairy products take an irreplaceable place in everyday food consumption, especially because the milk is a complex food, what is confirmed by its nutritional content, vitamins, magnesium, and iron, which are indispensable in the daily diet (Nicklas et al., 2009). Some ingredients are included in milk in a higher amount, others in a more convenient form to be used by the organism. Figure 1 Development of average purchase prices of raw cow 's milk excluding VAT (€/100 kg). Note: Source – VÚEPP (2019). 20.82 27.24 31.62 29.46 32.65 33.82 27.95 25.28 30.94 31.94 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Volume 14 798 2020