Rationalization as New Trend in Food Behavior of Polish Consumers

The main purpose of this research is to identify and characterize phenomena of rationalization in food behavior of Polish consumers and the factors shaping them. For this purpose, household budget surveys are conducted. It makes it possible to observe changes in food consumption over a period of 10 years. Moreover, direct surveys among 660 respondents using quantitative methods are used. The collected data are analyzed using factor analysis (main component method), Cronbach’s alpha-factor, linear regression models, Pearson’s χ² and Cramer’s V coefficients, and descriptive statistics and structure indicators. The analyses show that the phenomenon of rationalization is clearly visible in food behavior of Polish consumers and is associated with higher food awareness of Poles, lower consumption of most of the food articles, higher importance of quality and consistence of food, development of phenomena of foodsharing and freeganism, and growing popularity of some diets such as vegetarian or vegan diet.