Individual customers characteristics and types of organic food

Abstract

There is an increasing emphasis on a healthy lifestyle nowadays, so more and more people starting to buy organic food. The organic food market is getting richer with different types of organic food, so people are buying increasingly more organic products. This paper examines the relationship that exists between different types of organic foods and certain consumer characteristics. More specifically, it is examined how often people buy food of organic origin, as well as the potential differences in organic food purchasing habits among people who have a different level of education, income, and different place of residence. In the current research the sample consists of 600 respondents, of different education, income and place of residence. Data were processed using SPSS program version 26. In addition to descriptive statistics, non-parametric techniques such as the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to determine differences in scores between measured variables, due to the distribution of scores significantly deviating from normality. The results showed that in the Republic of Serbia, fruits and vegetables of organic origin are bought the most, while sweets of organic origin are bought the least. Organic food buyers with the highest income and level of education most often decide to buy fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, and bread and cereals of organic origin. Milk and milk products of organic origin are the most common choice for buying organic food products among buyers from urban areas.