CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS IN THE ORGANIC FOOD MARKET

Abstract

The paper’s objective is to define the consumption patterns in the organic food market in Poland. Therefore, in 2019, a questionnaire survey among 204 organic food consumers was carried out. The survey covered reasons for organic food purchases, places of purchase, purchase frequency, barriers to this purchase, and willingness to pay. The research results show that the investigated consumers were mostly young women (aged up to 40 years) with monthly incomes between 2,001 and 4,000 PLN per person in a household. On average, the surveyed had been present in the organic food market for about 4 years, and their expenditures on food mainly constituted about 20% of the total food expenditures. From the variety of reasons for buying organic food, the ones of egoistic character dominated, i.e., high quality of products, lower content of agricultural chemicals, belief in a higher content of nutrients, followed by altruistic motives, i.e., a positive impact on the environment or ethical production motives. The respondents most often and more regularly bought products with a shorter shelf life, i.e., organic vegetables and fruits, eggs, bread, and cereal products, and less frequently, more durable products. Fish, meat products, and meat were relatively rarely purchased. Among the places where the organic food was purchased, specialized stores and outlets of commercial networks prevailed. The most critical barrier for the respondents is still the high price of organic products.