their operation in ensuring food safety accumulated by both producers and consumers over time.

The constant development of consumer awareness regarding sustainable development has spread to food markets. Decisions related to food consumption are increasingly becoming, for consumers, an opportunity to demonstrate a specific value system, contesting mass and globally distributed food. Local products began to appreciate local produce, which is the opposite of mass production. Local food is gaining popularity, being perceived as healthier, unprocessed, and containing fewer preservative compounds, while also requiring fewer natural resources, leading to a lower environmental footprint. The phenomenon of shopping virtualization has also been growing in strength lately, especially among food consumers. Although Polish food e-commerce is still relatively undeveloped, online food sales have been the fastest growing category of Internet sales. According to experts, by 2026, nearly 40% of all products globally will be sold online. The main purpose of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers shopping online for local food products and to identify barriers to purchase. Our findings were then used to determine development opportunities for this form of trade in relation to local food in the light of new legislative solutions currently in force in Poland. As part of the research procedure, an extensive literature review was carried out. In addition, some of the research findings were cited regarding consumer behavior in the local food market, conducted on a population of 1067 respondents. The study showed that Polish e-consumers of local products are usually aged 30–40, well-educated, and are in a good financial situation. Respondents pointed to high prices as the main barrier to buying local products via the Internet, a drawback which may be remedied to some extent by the recently adopted legislative solutions falling under the scope of what is termed in Poland as agricultural retail trade as well as by the promotion of short supply chains such as the Polska Smakuje initiative.

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Purpose This paper seeks to describe the perceptions and motives for acquiring traditional and regional products by Polish consumers. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the state of regional and traditional food production in Poland and identify the prospects of its development. Design/methodology/approach Both secondary and primary data were used. The sample size included 1,067 respondents selected based on their place of residence and sex. The five-point Likert scale was used to measure the participant attitudes following the construction and validation procedure. Cronbach’s α test was used to evaluate the reliability of the measuring scale, estimated at 0.85, indicating the accuracy of the scales used. Statistica 13 – including t-test, ANOVA and regression analysis – was a software program used to carry out statistical analysis. Prior to the analysis, multivariate normality was examined by testing each variable for normal distribution. Findings The research showed the existence of a statistical relationship between the sex of respondents and the suggested traditional food consumption patterns such as organoleptic qualities, high quality, and finally, curiosity and trying new foods. Sex did not statistically influence the responses for the remaining factors. Originality/value The increased interest in traditional and regional food products is a manifestation of new food-related tendencies and is implied by the desire to exhibit behaviors and values resulting from cultural heritage. Polish consumers are becoming wealthier, better educated, more aware of both tangible and intangible product attributes, and they are having more opportunities to expose their social preferences when shopping. The importance of food attributes such as traditional and regional food certificates, source of origin or the image of the producer (e.g. respecting ethical behavior) is growing. This research is significant not only because of its theoretical input, but its applied value as well.

The dynamically developing trend of sustainable consumption is manifested, among others, by the growing interest in organic products on the part of consumers. The aim of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers in the market of organic products and to establish a link between their environmental awareness and willingness to buy organic products. The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Consumer awareness means making conscious choices based on the knowledge expressed in the attitudes and, sometimes, preferences of the food brand. The research was conducted using a proprietary survey questionnaire. A total of 1067 respondents participated. A statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica 13.1 PL software, which includes descriptive statistics, the discriminant function analysis, and regression analysis. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. Among the organic products, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as cereal products, are the most preferred by consumers of both genders. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life.