Transition management applications to accelerate sustainable food consumption – Comparative analysis between Switzerland and Hungary

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the transition towards sustainability and its characteristics in consumer systems of different levels. The relevance of the topic comes from the many development paths and innovation programmes which are initially recognized as sustainable in former socialist countries but which eventually all turn out to be unsuccessful. This study introduces the research which compares the sustainable consumer attitudes of the “50+” population in Switzerland and Hungary. The former is one of the most advanced consumer communities in Europe and the latter is a post-communist economy in transition. The representative sample, which contained over 1000 questionnaires and complementary personal interviews, clearly indicated the difference between the two groups of consumers. While among Swiss population marketing tools and social discussions to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly consumption can easily be applied, in the case of Hungarian society we need to introduce new regulations and legislative standards to achieve the same aim. In the future, taking into account these results is highly recommended when considering the development of sustainability and political programmes.