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Within a sociologic survey conducted for the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA), Czech consumers were asked about their perception of the situation when a range of foreign food producers deliver products on various national markets under the same name with different composition, though. According to certain projects, of which results were recently published, the composition of foodstuffs intended for the Czech market differs from the composition of foodstuffs for the old EU Member States, namely to disadvantage of Czech consumers. Using of less valuable ingredients of foodstuffs destined to the Czech market is concerned. Producers usually justify these practices by different requirements and expectations of consumers on single national markets, namely as regards the taste of foodstuffs.

The results of the survey clearly showed that domestic consumers do not agree with this explanation. 88% consumers indicated that their experience of different food composition offended and annoyed them. 36% of consumers said that this approach was “impertinent manipulation”. Only 4% of respondents indicated that they did not mind that approach of producers.

77% of respondents said that did not agree with the argument of producers about different preferences and tastes of consumers in single states. The majority – 54% indicated that they “did not agree at all”. Only 3% completely agreed.

According to 51% of respondents, the real reason for the different composition of foodstuffs was the effort of companies to save on more expensive raw materials and therefore they used lower amount of these raw materials; 38% of respondents were the opinion that companies relied on preference of lower price to quality by domestic consumers.

The survey was conducted on a sample of 1,019 respondents according to a quote selection based on the CSO data.