20.500.12556/RUL-180693 Consumption habits and perception of plant-based milk and dairy alternatives among vegetarians and omnivores: a case study of consumers in Slovenia Background: Plant-based milk and dairy alternatives (PBMDAs) are increasingly consumed in Europe, yet evidence from Central Europe remains limited. This study investigated PBMDA consumption habits and perceptions among adults in Slovenia. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in June 2024 using a nationally stratified consumer panel (N = 1500). The questionnaire assessed socio-demographics, lifestyle, selected self-reported psychological indicators, dietary pattern, PBMDAs-related beliefs, and interpretation of nutrition and ingredient information. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were complemented by multinomial logistic regression and Bayesian analyses. Results: Most participants followed an omnivorous diet, while vegetarians and vegans constituted a minority. Compared with omnivores, vegetarians expressed more favorable perceptions of PBMDAs (health, sustainability, safety), whereas omnivores expressed greater trust in dairy’s nutritional adequacy and stronger concerns about processing and additives. PBMDA perceptions varied by socio-demographics: younger participants and women expressed positive views, and vegetarian/vegan diets were more common among women and higher-educated consumers. Vegetarians/vegans reported more anxiety and body dysmorphic concerns than omnivores. When nutrition information was anonymised, both groups tended to rate dairy as healthier, indicating persistent biases in product evaluation. Conclusions: PBMDA perceptions in Slovenia are strongly segmented by dietary pattern and socio-demographics, supporting the need for clearer nutrition communication. plant-based milk and dairy alternatives consumer perception dietary patterns vegetarian vegan dairy socio-demographic determinants nutrition labelling Slovenia rastlinski nadomestki mleka potrošniki prehranjevalne navade vegetarijanci označevanje živil true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-03-13 16:55:04 2026-03-13 16:55:12 2026-03-14 04:38:03 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 19 str. iss. 5, art. 961 Vol. 15 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-01-01 637.18:366.12:613.2 2304-8158 10.3390/foods15050961 271071747 RAZ_Kranjc_Kaja_2026.pdf RAZ_Kranjc_Kaja_2026.pdf 1 B0A00D771744917506E5D4A51C54BB45 22d2bc4a3b0b735e310ceaa50652e0197058acb19b776df22ddee6bfbfde5bc1 329d3a46-1ef5-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=230365 https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/15/5/961 1 fdaea9cf-1ef4-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=230364 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0