Food Consumption Behaviour-Influencing Factors and Trends

Food consumption behaviour has played and will continue to play a fundamental role in the lives of consumers, since it is the source of satisfaction of one of the primary needs of consumers, namely the need for food. On the other hand, food consumption behaviour can also be seen as a hedonic experience, the result of the action of extremely heterogeneous and dynamic factors, with food consumption being influenced by economic, social, and cultural variables as well as personal, psychological, and biological factors which are related to the individual. The study of food consumption behaviour can be seen both as a challenge, given that understanding this behaviour requires a multidisciplinary analysis, the terms used referring to marketing, psychology, sociology, nutrition and food science, and as a necessity, given the impact on the structure and dynamics of the market, which in turn leads to the need for government decisions in the direction of ethics and social responsibility, and a global and at the same time sustainable development of the market. In this context, this paper aims to analyse the main factors influencing food consumption behaviour and how they are reflected in consumption decisions. The analysis is supported by an examination of these issues based on secondary data sources.