Food quality is considered to be one of the most important determinants of food choice. Given the variety of food products and the overflow of information in the market, certification labels are intended to encourage consumers to select healthier and more sustainable product options. This study focuses on how urban consumers from Poland and Belgium perceive food quality and whether certification labels shape their views on it. Research material was collected using quantitative (Paper and Pencil Interviews (PAPI)) and qualitative (focus groups (FGs)) methods. The survey was conducted among people visiting sustainable food fairs, on a sample of 701 adults in the cities of Warsaw, Brussels and Ghent. This study confirms that consumers are interested in food quality when choosing food, but their perception varies depending on the place of residence and other socio-demographic characteristics (age, income, education, household structure). Certificates were important for consumers if their message clearly signals exceptional quality and is consistent with awareness of sustainability challenges. Consumers from Belgium (a country with a long-established market economy) reveal deeper knowledge and a more favourable approach to certification labels than Poles. The role of labelling in shaping consumers’ perceptions of food quality depends on their awareness, experience and understanding of sustainability issues. This, in turn, is determined by the cultural environment of consumers, which in the case of our study was the country of residence.

Certification aims at ensuring food quality and safety, as well as confirming other beneficial credence attributes, such as local origin and sustainability. In order to explore the visibility and credibility of such certification labels functioning in the European Union, a study was conducted among residents of two EU Member States, Poland and Belgium. Face-to-face questionnaire-based interviews and focus group interviews were conducted among 701 adults living in Warsaw and Brussels—the capital cities of these countries. Almost 44% of Belgian respondents and 33% of Polish respondents considered certified foods as being of better quality compared to unlabeled products. Focus group interviews demonstrated that Belgian consumers had more extensive knowledge and a higher level of trust in certified foods compared to Warsaw inhabitants. Our findings suggest that certificates are moderately important factors of food choice due to the wide variety of certificates, leading to consumer confusion, a lack of label uniformity, greenwashing, limited visibility and availability at points of sale, consumer price sensitivity and the prioritization of other factors. These constraints can be alleviated by introducing food labeling standards and regulations. Increasing consumer awareness and the availability and affordability of certified foods can also boost the demand for sustainable products in the region.

Ograniczenie marnotrawstwa żywności w całym łańcuchu jej dostaw to jedno z kluczowych wyzwań dalszego rozwoju świata. W państwach wysoko rozwiniętych największe marnotrawstwo występuje w końcowych fazach tego łańcucha, głównie w sferze konsumpcji. Na tym tle celem pracy było porównanie różnych aspektów marnotrawstwa żywności w gospodarstwach domowych wybranych grup konsumentów, tj. studentów uniwersytetu przyrodniczego z Polski i ze Szwecji. Własne badania ankietowe przeprowadzono w latach 2014 i 2015 na próbie 234 konsumentów: 132 polskich i 102 szwedzkich. Polscy studenci w większym odsetku niż szwedzcy deklarowali zachowania świadczące lub prowadzące do nieracjonalnego gospodarowania żywnością. Istotnie więcej przyznało się do marnotrawienia żywności. Badani ze Szwecji zachowywali się bardziej racjonalnie w kwestii wykorzystywania nadwyżek żywności oraz w mniejszym odsetku wskazywali na większość przyczyn marnotrawstwa żywności. Uzyskane wyniki wskazują na konieczność nagłaśniania zagadnień problemu marnotrawstwa żywności, zwłaszcza podejmowania działań służących jego ograniczaniu w procesach konsumpcji realizowanych w gospodarstwach domowych.