A SOCIO–ECONOMIC THESIS ON FOOD SAFETY: MORE CONSUMPTION, EDUCATION OR RELIGIOUSNESS?

Rezear Kolaj, Petar Borisov, Adelida Osmani Ergen, Ekaterina Arabska

Abstract


Demographic dynamics, growing pressures from new tech or challenges from the pandemic Covid–19 and the consequences represent just some of the concerns on food safety in the markets in 2021. Socio–economic developments of recent years and changes in the structure of consumption, can also affect the level of food safety in local markets in the city of Tirana, in Albania. Verification of the thesis of the impact of socio–economic factors on food safety, represents a trilemma of interest especially between the factors of consumption, education and the religiousness. The paper’s objective is an evaluation impact of the factors such as: age, safety knowledge, gender, consumption quantity, domestic tomato consumption, imported tomato consumption, greenhouses tomato consumption, field tomato consumption, Muslim religiousness, Christian religiousness to the food safety of vegetables, by illustrating with a case study from the agri–food markets in Tirana. The results of the statistical model used shows that variables safety knowledge, domestic tomato consumption, greenhouse tomato consumption, imported tomato consumption, field tomato consumption, primary education, middle and university education affect very significantly up to significantly to food safety. The findings can serve especially to professionals and future studies and also to the food agencies and market actors.


Keywords


food safety, safety knowledge, consumption, education, religiousness, Albania

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