AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER AWARENESS AND TRUST IN ORGANIC FOOD LEGISLATION IN CROATIA

Background: The results of the research conducted in March 2009 on a representative sample of the citizens of the Republic of Croatia using a highly structured survey questionnaire in households have shown that the majority of the respondents (76.6%) are familiar with organic food. In the survey, special emphasis is put on the purchase of organic food, especially among regular buyers. Methods: Regular buyers were asked about their familiarity with the information on the organic food declaration and their trust in the reliability of the information on the organic food declaration. Furthermore, research explored respondents' familiarity with the label organic product of Croatia according to frequency of organic food purchase. Also, research explored consumer trust in organic food monitoring and control system in Croatia. Results and conclusions: the research gives insight into familiarity with measures for organic food consumer protection in Croatia and recommendations for organic food legislation bodies.