Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify if there were differences that existed in the behaviors, attitudes, awareness, and motivating factors that influenced people to shop at farmers’ markets and purchase USDA certified organic food in two geographic regions: Corvallis, Oregon and Muncie, Indiana. A survey was administered to consumers who shopped at the Minnetrista Farmers’ Market (MFM) and the Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Market (CAFM) in the summer of 2012 to measure the shoppers’ purchasing perceptions. Specific areas of interest in this study included consumer values towards supporting local farmers and consuming USDA certified organic food. A comparison of responses between regions was analyzed. Results of the study provide insights on consumers’ purchasing attitudes and behaviors regarding USDA certified organic products, and why they chose to shop at Farmers’ Markets. Ideology was the strongest predictor for consumer purchasing behaviors. Understanding how regional differences affect food choice has implications for wellness programs and industry marketing materials.
Highlights
Fresh, quality, local, value-added agriculture and certified products all relate to organically produced food, a fast growing agricultural segment within the United States
Seventy-nine percent of Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Market (CAFM) consumers had liberal to moderateliberal political views, whereas 43% of Minnetrista Farmers’ Market (MFM) consumers had liberal to moderate-liberal political views
At CAFM, 66% of participants lived in the 97330 Benton County zip code, and 58% of MFM participants lived in the 47304 Delaware County zip code
Summary
Quality, local, value-added agriculture and certified products all relate to organically produced food, a fast growing agricultural segment within the United States. Consumer demand for organically produced United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified goods has increased dramatically over the past few years, providing market incentives for farmers around the United States, especially for those selling directly to con-. How to cite this paper: Pucciarelli, D. and Faith, S. Marketing efforts have increased organic food retail sales to $21.1 billion in 2008 compared to $3.6 billion in 1997 [2]. One direct to consumer exchange of organic goods is farmers’ markets. Since USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service began tracking farmers’ markets in 1994, the number of markets in the United States had grown from 1755 to 8144 in 2013. Total annual sales at US farmers’ markets are estimated at $1 billion [3]
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