Organic Consumers Research Articles

Perceptions of Vegan Food among Organic Food Consumers Following Different Diets

This article identifies consumer segments for vegan food by analysing perceptions of vegan food among food organic consumers following different diets: vegans, vegetarians, former vegetarians, flexitarians, and omnivores. The analysis is based on responses to a quantitative consumer survey for which 503 participants were recruited from customers at German grocery stores by quota sampling according to diet and region. From the responses to an open-ended question eliciting the participants’ associations with vegan food, the analysis finds that vegans and vegetarians perceive vegan foods primarily as being beneficial for animal welfare, healthy, and environmentally friendly, while those who ate meat perceive vegan food primarily as containing no animal ingredients and as being healthy. The respondents’ varying assessments of the taste, diversity, and environmental benefits of vegan food were found to differ in relation to the various diets they followed, as did their assessments of how long the vegan trend is likely to last. A cluster analysis based on the consumers’ perceptions and attitudes revealed three consumer groups: “vegan fans”, “enjoyment sceptics”, and “originality-sceptics”. Scepticism about the originality of vegan food was found in all diet groups. These findings can help inform more effective targeting of consumer needs for vegan organic food.

Are They Careful Enough? Testing Consumers' Perception of Alternative Processing Technologies on the Quality of Organic Food.

Given the increasing public interest in how ingredients are processed and the growing demand for organic food products, it is critical to understand consumers’ expectations about the process-related quality of organic products. Consumers perceive organic food to be nutritious, healthy and either natural or less processed, as they are afraid of the loss of nutritional, organoleptic and sensory properties of the food products. However, alternative food processing technologies might generate healthy and safe food options with nutritional quality properties. Simplified communication schemes might help to overcome this barrier for the consumer. The main objective of this study is to propose a working definition of “careful processing” for organic products and test its consistency through an experiment, while being used to rate different processing methods by consumers. Results show that the proposed definition allows the consumer to consistently rate alternative processing technologies. Consumers tend to score alternative processing technologies such as pulsed electric fields and microwaves as less careful, supporting the idea that organic consumers want as little man-made interference in their food products as possible. Results show that a simple but effective definition of careful processing may help consumers to distinguish more organic food products from conventional ones, no matter which communication scheme is used.

Rural sustainability and food choice: the effect of territorial characteristics on the consumers\u2019 preferences for organic lentils

The importance of pulse cultivation and consumption is recognized by the scientific community in terms of human nutrition, food security, biodiversity and a valid substitute for animal protein. In some marginal areas, pulse cultivation represents also a protection against the abandonment of agricultural land, the preservation of traditional landscape and the maintenance of natural environments, besides contributing to the safeguard of traditional gastronomy and culture.This study explores how some characteristics connected with rural sustainability, like the preservation of the traditional rural landscape, production area in a Natura 2000 Site of Community Importance (SCI) and EU quality labels (PDO and PGI), might influence organic consumers’ choice of lentils. Data were collected in the Umbria region (Italy) in 2014 by interviewing 213 consumers’ members of Organic Solidarity Purchase Groups (O-SPGs). The Discrete Choice Experiment methodology was used, and three different models (Multinomial Logit Model (MNL), Mixed Logit Model (RPL) and Endogenous Attribute Attendance (EAA)) were applied to verify the reliability of the estimates. Attribute non-attendance (ANA) behaviour was taken into account. Results reveal that the presence of ANA had an impact on both the relative importance of the estimated attributes and the magnitude of the estimated mean WTP. Therefore, this study suggests that WTP mean estimates should be considered with caution for marketing purposes if ANA is not considered. Looking at pulses, the results help to understand the importance in monetary terms of the relationship between lentil choice and rural sustainability.

Alternative consumer practices for a sustainable identity: the perspective of organic food consumption

ABSTRACT Based on 31 existential phenomenological interviews, this study explores the subjective experiences of a group of dedicated organic food consumers residing in Portugal, and how opting for organic consumption affects other sustainability practices and the consumers’ identity. Findings suggest that the regular consumption of organic food, together with environmentalism, operates as a self-transformative catalyst to voluntary simplification, anti-consumption, and political agency. Furthermore, the identities of these consumers can be perceived as a stepping-stone in the transition to sustainability. The research findings enhance the understanding of how responsible consumption and anti-consumption practices reconcile to construct an alternative consumer identity and strengthen the discourse on sustainability.

The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on access to organic food in San José, Costa Rica

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to increased awareness of food security in urban areas and to the role of farmers’ markets in providing essential services to consumers. Objective: To better understand how Covid-19 affected consumer access to organic food at two major organic farmers’ markets in the Costa Rican metropolitan area. Methods: In April 2020 after the strict Costa Rica lockdown, 52 organic market consumers completed online questionnaires regarding their purchasing and consumption patterns. Results: The majority of participants reported decreasing or stopping visits to organic markets (81%). The most frequent source of food during the pandemic was large supermarkets (52%) followed by online or direct delivery from farmers (15%). The majority of participants reported less access to organic products since the onset of the pandemic (71%). Conclusion: Covid-19 has impacted access to organic food at farmer’s markets; recommendations include greater support for direct and online delivery of organic products to increase access to health food.

(Dis)Innovative digital strategy in professional sport: examining sponsor leveraging through social media

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of social media strategies of sport organizations when an unexpected absence of relevant content occurs. The study explored the typologies of Instagram posts of NHL teams and measured engagement of social media content that was not planned in advance.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods approach was utilized through a content analysis of 12 NHL team social media feeds. 502 (n = 502) posts were examined from the period of March 12 – May 26 during which the NHL season was suddenly paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Typologies of posts were identified through a qualitative coding process and ANOVA tests were conducted to examine the effectiveness of each typology in engaging consumers.FindingsThis study found that social media strategies of the sampled NHL teams is evidence of disinnovation with digital, as opposed to the previously conceptualized innovative properties that these activities bear. Therefore, in order to achieve the consumer engagement outcomes sought to build stronger relationships with fans and deliver on the expected leveraging capabilities for sponsors, sport marketers must reconsider their current, imbalanced approach and whether the more inherently interactive content should be balanced with entertaining content that requires organic consumer engagement.Originality/valueThis study offers a unique application of UGT, highlighting that social media in a sport context is not just about gratifying consumers, but preventing diminishing engagement and exploitation of users through overuse of sponsorship-laced content.

Consumer Perspectives on Processing Technologies for Organic Food.

Over the last years, consumer demand for natural and healthy convenient food has increased, and with it the demand for organic convenience food. With convenience food, the processing level increases, which consumers are sceptical of. This holds especially for organic consumers who prefer natural, healthy, and sustainable food products. In the literature, consumer preferences are investigated for processed conventional food, but rarely for organic products. Therefore, this study investigates consumers’ knowledge, expectations, and attitudes towards selected processing technologies for organic food. Nine focus groups with 84 organic consumers were conducted, discussing preservation technologies of organic milk and orange juice. Results showed that participants had little knowledge about processing technologies but were interested in their benefits. Organic processing technologies should include fewer processing steps, low environmental impact, while keeping the product as natural as possible. Since consumers want to know benefits but not details of processing, asking consumers for their specific preferences when developing new processing technologies remains challenging. This paper shows how consumers’ benefit and risk perception including their want for naturalness, and scepticism for new technologies shape their evaluation of (organic) food processing technologies. Two consumer groups with different attitudes towards processing could be identified: ’organic traditionalists’ and ‘organic pragmatics’.

The Geographical Distance between Producers and Consumers of the Organic Street Markets: The Case of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The organic street markets are considered a short food supply chain, and their importance gained new proportions since COVID-19 brought difficulties to the traditional supply chain. The organic street markets represent a place to sell the product for organic family farmers and an opportunity to obtain better quality and variety of organic products at a lower price. This work aimed to analyze the geographical distance from producers and consumers of organic street markets in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, identifying the organic street market characteristics that influence the organic consumers. The research methods used descriptive statistics, a chi-squared test, and the measurement of the geographical distance. Results allowed us to conclude the organic street markets with more producers attract more consumers and consumers willing to travel long distances. Additionally, the factors related to a street market location, product, and consumer behavior are associated. Finally, results indicated the location of organic street markets contributes to displacements by non-motorized modes. The results indicated that the organic street market characteristics can contribute to a sustainable, short, organic food supply chain in Belo Horizonte.

Good eats, bad intentions? Reputational costs of organic consumption

Previous research has shown that people tend to perceive organic consumers as more moral and higher status than conventional consumers. We propose that organic consumption might have reputational costs as well. Drawing from research on do-gooder derogation, virtue signaling, and cynicism, we suggest that people might see organic consumption as driven not only by altruistic but also by selfish – specifically, impression management – motives. In Study 1, participants rated organic (vs. conventional) consumers as having stronger altruistic concerns (for the environment, animal welfare, and social justice), as well as stronger impression management motives: organic (vs. conventional) consumers were seen as trying to appear more moral and high-status than they actually were. In Study 2, we separately assessed participants' perception of organic (vs. conventional) consumers’ actual (vs. signaled) levels of morality and status. Organic consumers were perceived as trying to appear as more moral (but not more high-status) than they actually were, whereas conventional consumers were perceived as being honest in the impressions they tried to make. These results demonstrate that organic consumption might have not only positive, but also negative, reputational consequences.

The Organic Food Choice Pattern: Are Organic Consumers Becoming More Alike?

There is no doubt that the search for organic products is already more than a trend; it is an indisputable reality. More and more people are opting for a healthier lifestyle that starts with food, which has awakened a growing interest in understanding the reasons for these purchases. The motivational attributes of consumers’ decisions regarding the consumption of organic products are the main aim of this study. The survey included 250 respondents that filled a questionnaire by email and by personal interviews. We used a non-probabilistic sampling method, namely convenience sampling and the best–worst scaling method to analyze 10 attributes of organic purchasing decisions. Then, we studied the impact of the classification variables age, gender, academic level, place of residence, children under 18 living at home, and place of purchase of organic products on the attributes. Applying a chi-square test, we only obtained statistically significant differences for children under 18 living at home and the certification warranty (p = 0.011). The results show the dominance of credence attributes and egoistic motivations on organic consumption and may indicate a path towards the standardization of the organic consumer profile. This study emphasized that we may be facing a new organic consumer, for whom health-related factors are not just significant but overwhelming as well.

Emotional or logical: reason for consumers to buy organic food products

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand, among the emotional, practical and logical factors, which factor is more critical while consumers buy organic food products, mostly fruits and vegetables.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire survey approach was used to provide a deeper insight into the reasons for consumers to buy organic fruits and vegetables (OF&V). A total of 632 valid questionnaires were obtained, yielding a response rate of 79%.FindingsHealth is a functional/practical factor which consumer expect as a result of consuming organic food products; however, fear towards conventional food products (emotional) is the triggering factor which motivates consumers to buy OF&V. The logical factor such as environmental motive was found insignificant in the current study, Thereby supporting the value theory which posited emotion greater than practical and which in turn greater than logical. However, barriers for consumers to buy OF&V are perceived price and willingness to take effort. Thus by focusing upon fear reducing strategy such as, implementing certification and labelling on OF&V would be a promising strategy.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, no previous studies exist in the organic consumer behaviour research which used the value theory proposed by Mattson (1991) and the study was able to propose that beyond the practical and logical factors, emotional factor has important role while consumer think of buying OF&V.

Sustainable packaging: Does eating organic really make a difference on product-packaging interaction?

The recent years have recognized the increasing consumption of organic food. Nonetheless, although environmental concern is one of the roots of organic food, little importance is given to food packaging even if it is one of the primary causes for pollution. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the factors underlying the purchase intention of organic food in sustainable packaging according to organic consumers’ perspective in Portugal. The Theory of Planned Behavior served as the theoretical framework and was further extended by incorporating environmental concern and perceived environmental knowledge as additional constructs. Using a questionnaire survey, a total of 311 responses from organic consumers were collected. Empirical results of multiple linear regressions showed the usefulness of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting the purchase intention of organic consumers, which was 70,3% explained by the set of variables attitude, personal norms, and perceived behavioral control. The impact of environmental concern and perceived environmental knowledge on the purchase intention was declined, although these variables explained 26% of total variance of organic consumers’ attitudes towards sustainable packaging. This study contributed to advance knowledge on the coherence between organic eaten preferences and the choice of sustainable packaging. Ultimately, it raises concerns for the fact that, although organic consumers reveal environmental concerns and perceived environmental knowledge, more efforts need to be done to contribute to cleaner production systems regarding sustainable packaging. These insights will be helpful for pursuing the twelfth Sustainable Development Goal “Responsible Consumption and Production” by raising awareness to reduce the ecological footprint of organic food packaging.

Organic acid composition and consumer acceptability of fermented fish produced from black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and Javanese carp (Puntius gonionotus) using natural and acid-assisted fermentation

Ikan pekasam is an example of traditional fermented food products in Malaysia, prepared from freshwater fish such as black tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and Javanese carp (Puntius gonionotus), salt and ground roasted rice, which is added as the only source of carbohydrate. However, some producers add tamarind (Tamarindus indica) pulp and/or dried slices of Garcinia atroviridis to assist the fermentation process. In this study, there was no correlation detected between pH value, titratable acidity (% lactic acid), salt concentration, organic acid composition and the consumer acceptability of ikan pekasam commercial samples made of black tilapia as well as Javanese carp. The organic acid composition in both natural and acid-assisted fermented ikan pekasam from black tilapia and Javanese carp were compared. The results obtained showed that lactic acid was the major organic acid detected, followed by succinic acid and acetic acid. The addition of tartaric and/or garcinia acids was proven to reduce the fermentation time. Therefore, the addition of acid has assisted the fermentation process by increasing the total organic acid content, mainly lactic acid. Moreover, the 9-point hedonic scale showed that ikan pekasam made of Javanese carp had higher overall acceptability due to tender flesh/muscle texture compared to black tilapia regardless of the fermentation process and organic acid content

Organic consumers’ perceptions of environmental impacts of food overlap only partially with those considered by life cycle assessment

Current environmental issues require shifting to a more sustainable agri-food sector. The perception of the environmental impact of the products that consumers buy is not well known. The present study investigated consumers’ perceptions of the environmental impacts related to the food chain. A group of 28 French buyers of organic products were questioned in a preliminary qualitative study, assuming buyers consume the products. Then, an online survey was conducted with 523 French organic buyers. Results showed that their perceptions included more than just pollution aspects, encompassing sustainability as a whole, including social (health) and economic (agricultural and other production activities) aspects. Results also highlighted that they did not understand certain impact categories used in life cycle assessment (LCA) to estimate environmental impacts because of the complex terms used (e.g. marine eutrophication, photochemical oxidant formation). The participants perceived that LCA did not consider some positive impacts that should be included when assessing environmental impacts. In addition, LCA impact categories were less broad than the participants’ perceptions. This study suggests that developing new ecolabels needs a more holistic approach of the impacts of food, considering positive and negative impacts.

“We are all consumers”: co-consumption and organic food

ABSTRACT The Organic Consumer Association (OCA) in Iceland was established by domestic producers, importers, retailers and consumers. What separated this consumer association from conventional ones was that its founders included both organic producers and “middlemen” (importers, wholesalers and retailers). These same middlemen are often criticized for destroying valuable connections between producers and consumers, but in OCA they worked with producers and consumers toward a common goal. In the article, I deploy the concept of “co-consumption” to analyze how different actors within the contemporary food chain engage with the production and consumption of organic food. “Co-consumption” can be defined as individual and collective efforts to tackle issues within the industrial food system. Such consumption is based on emotional practices that establish relationships between people, products, spaces, and places. So what happens when organic producers and entrepreneurs begin to define themselves as consumers while fighting for increased consumption through the Organic Consumer Association? And what can these encounters between organic producers, middlemen, and consumers tell us about contemporary consumption practices? Drawing on theories of emotion, the article explores the dynamics, frictions, and mutual obligations that drive ethical consumption on a day-to-day basis.

CUSTOMER PREFERENCE AND SATISFACTION LEVEL TOWARD ORGANIC VEGETABLE ATTRIBUTE (CASE STUDY ON TOP BUAH SEGAR CIBUBUR)

With the increasing public awareness of healthy lifestyles, the demand for organic agricultural products, especially vegetable products, currently continues to increase day by day. Therefore, it will require sufficient information and knowledge about the characteristics, preferences, and satisfaction of consumers with the attributes of organic vegetables to be used as a basis for understanding the needs for organic vegetable consumption. This study aimed to analyze consumer preference for organic vegetables and consumer satisfaction with organic vegetables' attributes. The data collection method used was the purposive sampling technique through distributing questionnaires to 140 respondents. Meanwhile, the data processing methods used in this study were conjoint analysis, IPA, and CSI. The result of the calculation of customer preference in this research showed that packaging was an indicator that had the highest level of importance at 28.99 percent. Hence, it needs innovation by describing the benefits and nutritional content of organic vegetables to increase consumer appeal. Based on IPA results, two attributes' performance had the highest priority to be improved by the company: affordable organic vegetable prices and organic vegetable discounts. Thus, the discounted prices are needed on specific days such as the Anniversary of the company and holidays. Furthermore, based on the CSI calculation results, the customers were considered satisfied with the performance of Top Buah Segar Cibubur. Keywords: CSI, IPA, customer preference, customer satisfaction, organic vegetables

Demand Assessments of Organic Products and Consumers Willingness to Pay for Organic Food Products

Demand Assessments of Organic Products and Consumers Willingness to Pay for Organic Food Products

An Analysis of Factors Affecting on Growth of Organic Food Perception of Consumers in a Metro City of India

Purpose: Food gives us essential nutrients to lead a healthy lifestyle but lately it has been found that many food products have become hazardous due to contamination and lead to many diseases. The rampant use of pesticides and chemical-based fertilizers in agriculture has, increased the productivity but at the same time they have created an alarming situation for the environment. The demand of the hour is to therefore to encourage organic farming and offer a better choice to consumers as well as save the environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the factors affecting perception of consumers on organic food products in Indian context. Design – Methodology – Approach: The study used a structured survey of 300 respondents covering metro city (India). Exploratory research was used to know the variables from the literature that affect the perception of consumers regarding organic food. Descriptive research was used to understand the demographic profile of the organic food consumer’s. Conclusive research design was used to test the hypothesis based upon the motivating and inhibiting factor in the growth of organic food. Findings: The data collected from the survey were analyzed using percent analysis and ANOVA tests. Results indicated that the intention to purchase organic products was impacted by the consumer’s belief on the safety and health aspect of the product, trust and certification, information and availability and lifestyle and are hence drivers of growth. And certain impeding factors were identified like doubt in the professed quality of organic food, lack of awareness and price parity. Social Implications: There are enough evidences of fertile land being converted into wasteland because of use of agro- chemical-based fertilizers in farming. There are also enough incidents of polluted water (ground and surface) due to agrochemical-based farming. Heavy use of pesticides leads to adverse effect on the health of farmers also. There were many reports of farmers committing suicide because of debt due to heavy investment on pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farming is a win-win proposition for environment, farmers and consumer’s. Originality/value – The study was an effort to understand awareness and perception of organic food consumers in urban India post-agriculture revolution. The result would help the organic food producing and marketing companies to understand the factors that influence the belief of consumers when they purchase organic food and henceforth they can formulate communication strategies and marketing policy based on consumer’s expectations.

A Profile of Organic Food Consumers—Serbia Case-Study

In this paper, the authors analyze products from the organic farming system from consumption and consumers. The research aimed to determine the characteristics of the Serbian organic market, discover attitudes, practices, and features of different organic food consumers and identify factors that influence organic products’ purchase. This was done following the theoretical framework of green marketing, which refers to the holistic management process responsible for identifying, anticipating, and satisfying customers and society’s needs for profitably and sustainability. The research for this study was conducted in Novi Sad and Belgrade in late 2015 and early 2016. The sample included 496 respondents over 18 years of age, varying levels of education, marital status, and other sociodemographic characteristics. The sample was divided into three internally homogeneous yet mutually heterogeneous clusters according to three criteria: factors that generally influence their food purchasing decisions, their opinions regarding characteristics of food products and their eating habits, and their sociodemographic characteristics. The analysis shows that organic consumers can be divided into three clusters with corresponding components related to aspects of products that are sold in the Serbian market. In Cluster 1, respondents who assign the least importance to whether they eat “healthy” products and to the number of calories in those products are presented. Cluster 2 respondents care most about what they consume, and in Cluster 3, respondents assign importance to eat “healthy” food. The findings of this study show that the decision whether to buy organic products or not is predominantly determined by the price and quality of products (which is also related to the socio-economic characteristics of consumers) so that eco-marketing should therefore be more directed towards those consumers who are already “more environmentally and health-conscious”, because in this way, the desired results of improving the domestic market of organic products will be achieved.

PRINCIPALES MOTIVACIONES DEL CONSUMIDOR DE ALIMENTOS ECOLÓGICOS EN ITALIA. EL CASO DEL ACEITE DE OLIVA

A pesar del crecimiento generalizado de la agricultura ecológica en Europa, el comportamiento de los mercados de alimentos ecológicos es diferente entre países. Así, en algunos países como Italia hay un gran desequilibrio entre producción y consumo, y se provoca que parte de la producción se destine a mercados exteriores. Esta situación es evidente en el aceite de oliva, un producto emblemático en el sector agrícola italiano. En este contexto, el desarrollo de la demanda interna es una prioridad. Sin embargo, para diseñar estrategias de mercadotecnia efectivas que contribuyan a dicho desarrollo es necesario conocer el comportamiento del consumidor. Bajo la hipótesis de que el principal motivo de compra de los consumidores es de tipo altruista (relacionado con el medio ambiente, la ecología, el bienestar animal o el desarrollo rural y local), el objetivo de este estudio fue conocer las principales motivaciones del consumidor de aceite de oliva ecológico. La respuesta a este objetivo se basó en la Teoría Medios-Fin y para el análisis se utilizó la técnica de “hard laddering”, aplicada a una muestra de 25 sujetos. Los resultados mostraron que la salud es el fin último que motiva la compra del aceite de oliva ecológico, y que las motivaciones egoístas priman sobre las altruistas en la decisión de compra o consumo de este tipo de alimentos.