The Recognisability of the Fair Trade Idea in the Context of Universal Access to Information

Abstract

The paper is a synthetic presentation of one of the essential areas of the author’s research, concerning a sample of 900 persons consisting of consumers from Podkarpackie Voivodeship, who were shopping at randomly chosen food retailers. The research was conducted using a method of personal interview The subject of discussion presented in the study is the recognisability of labelling on food product packaging, which was described in a subjective way (through self-assessment of consumers), as well as objectively (through verification of knowledge of the essence of products label-ling). A special attention was paid to verification of associations of the clients from Podkarpckie Voivodeship to a fair trade labelling. The conclusions are presented in classification subgroups of clients concerning their demographic, social and economic features. The findings allow to conclude that both subjective and objective assessment of consumers recognition of the essence of symbols on food products are at a relatively low level. Knowledge about a fair trade idea among clients from Podkarpackie Voivodeship was also not common. These remarks indicate a low interest of clients in certificates and symbols placed on food packaging. Without such interest it is impossible to gain sufficient knowledge, and also to assimilate a fair trade idea and perceive it as a determinant in decisions connected with a choice of specified products, and thus to support societies in the Third World. To minimise social and economic inequalities between the North and the South it is necessary to continuously promote the idea to the extent that stimulates consumers’ willingness to search for information about fair trade products and to search for products with this labelling. The thesis is supported by data negating technological barriers of access to information.