Abstract
Globally, concerns regarding consumers’ food quality and safety have increased. There is an increase in the search of alternative healthy and safe food that also enhances immunity. Organic food eliminates most of the concerns that consumers have. Market experts expect the Indian domestic organic food market to grow rapidly in the coming years. This study aims to understand the characteristics, attitudes, and buying patterns of different types of consumers so that producers, sellers, and the government can design appropriate marketing strategies. To study the attitude of consumers, the Multi-attribute Model was used. A survey was conducted in Delhi-NCR, and data was obtained from 556 consumers. Through Exploratory Factor Analysis, six factors were derived: health, humanity, and environment; obstacles in buying; trust and confidence; fundamental knowledge; tradition and culture; and social acceptance and status. Based on these factors, and with cluster analysis, consumers were classified into five segments: incognizant consumers, unconcerned consumers, critical consumers, conservative consumers, and congruent consumers.
Highlights
Worldwide, concerns regarding food quality and safety have increased as there has been an increase in the number of food-related diseases and scandals
This study explored that consumers are aware about the benefits of organic food related to health, humanity and environment but there are a number of obstacles, like high prices, erratic availability, inaccessibility in buying these products
Significant predictors of attitude towards organic food Not significantly related to attitude towards organic food Most influential motivators for consumption Positive influence on consumption
Summary
Concerns regarding food quality and safety have increased as there has been an increase in the number of food-related diseases and scandals. The term ‘organic’ serves as a heuristic cue of superiority over conventional food (Vega-Zamora et al, 2013). These food products are produced naturally by harmonizing all aspects of chemicals-free pesticides and fertilizers (Lampkin, 1999), Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and irra diation (Marwa & Scott, 2013). Trust and Confidence: Certification of organic food products is significant as consumers gain confidence from certification logos and labels. They do not mind if organic food products have odd shapes, sizes, marks, or blemishes. They trust farmers and sellers when they claim and promote their products as organic
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