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Abstract
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, food consumption habits in our country have also changed significantly. As a result of the successive waves of the pandemic, consumers have become more conscious in their purchases, the role of local shops, markets and home delivery has increased and trust in local food has increased. In the past two years, the trend of online shopping has also intensified in terms of food purchases, and consumers have consistently preferred food from good quality, reliable sources, even in the case of domestic products. Our present study is a continuation of our previous research: after examining secondary sources, we conducted primary research to find out to what extent the coronavirus pandemic has affected Hungarian food purchases, with particular attention to the differences between generations. We used a quantitative method in our study; after an online survey conducted using a standardized questionnaire, we drew conclusions by processing the opinions of 1,151 respondents. Based on our results, it can be said that the purchase of Hungarian food products has generally come to the fore as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The main motivation for purchasing domestic food products was to support the Hungarian economy. A kind of emotional attachment developed during the period under study: according to the respondents, purchasing domestic food products was linked to promoting the Hungarian economy. From a generational perspective, members of Generation X preferred Hungarian food products the most, but our research also shows that there is a realistic chance of convincing Generation Y and Generation Z through further promotional campaigns. In our opinion, encouraging the purchase of Hungarian food products could be achieved through emotional-based communication activities that focus on good quality and the shopping experience, which would introduce the younger generation to the benefits of local products through a sense of belonging to the community.