Food Consumption Patterns in Times of Economic Recession

The aim of this study is to identify the factors influencing consumers' purchasing behaviour for food, in times of crisis. Intercept survey was conducted in a random selected sample consisted of 553 consumers between January and May 2016 in the Prefecture of Thessaloniki. Multivariate data analysis was performed to explore the factors influencing consumers' purchasing behaviour, identify consumers with similar behaviour based on their socio-demographic characteristics and their attitudes towards food consumption in times of crisis. Results demonstrate that the factors affecting consumers' purchasing behaviour are (a) Product's Feature and Natural contents, (b) Economic issues, (c) Identity & Sensory Appeal, (d) Mood, (e) Weight Control & Health and (f) Convenience. Furthermore, cluster analysis was employed to classify consumers with similar buying behaviour towards food, five groups of consumers were identified: (a) neutrals, (b) influenced by psychological issues, (c) influenced by economic issues, (d) low diet/healthy eaters and (e) influenced by availability and easy access.