Pork Meat and Meat Products Market in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

Currently, pork is the most consumed meat and has a key role in the diet, mainly due to its nutritional composition. However, in recent years, its consumption has been steadily increasing, which may lead to negative effects on consumer health, and growing production may have a negative impact on the environment. Based on the mentioned factors and the rising production costs, the aim of the paper is to point out the current market of pork meat and meat products in Slovakia in terms of production and consumption, as well as to identify consumer behavior. The results show that pork production has a slow growing trend and currently reaches almost 13 kg per capita and year. Consumption of pork in Slovakia is still growing and currently exceeds the recommended doses by 70%. These are also confirmed by the results of a survey conducted by 1,311 pork consumers. We found that the average annual consumption of pork is more than 35 kg per respondent and the amount of consumption is mainly affected by gender, age, education, residence, as well as the eating habits of consumers. Consumption is also influenced by factors determining purchase and consumption and consumers pay particular attention to the quality and freshness of the pork. Given the results achieved and current market trends, it is desirable that the consumption of pork should be eliminated, and consumers should focus on quality pork meat of Slovak production.