Consumers’Preference Heterogeneity and Purchase Motivation of Organic Vegetables

Abstract

Sustainability is currently one of the most important issues for agricultural activities. This study used scanner panel data to analyze consumers’ evaluation of organic agricultural products. The main aim was to describe consumers’ preference heterogeneity and purchase motivation for organic vegetables. The data set combined purchase history of Japanese mustard spinach and consumers’ demographics and attitudes for food were analyzed using a random parameter multinomial logit model. The results revealed that the distribution of marginal willingness to pay（MWTP）for organic products was wider than specially cultivated agricultural products, which are cultivated with 50% usage of chemicals. In addition, consumers concerns about food safety issues and public benefit had higher MWTP for organic products. This may indicate that consumers of organic vegetables are motivated by food safety concerns and willingness to contribute to mitigate environmental load in agricultural production.