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The organic industry in Australia: Current and future trends
Abstract
Accurate information is critical for investment, policy alignment and to support agricultural development. In Australia information relating to the size, growth, current and future value of the organic sector has been incoherent and, in some cases, contradictory. This study seeks to address this gap by synthesising industry and government data with the results of an online quantitative survey as well as a series of in-depth interviews to capture the value added component of the organic industry in Australia. By sub-dividing the total organic industry into thirteen categories which makes for meaningful analysis and interpretation, we aimed to estimate the compound average growth rate, the current value added and future trends in the Australian organic industry. This has resulted in some interesting findings, hence the methodology could potentially serve as a benchmark for the reporting of organic food growth globally. The findings also have important implications for various stakeholders including, growers of organic products, investors, land use policy makers and industry operators.
... Since the 1960s, Australia has been producing oil commercially and it is currently home to 0.7% of the proven oil reserves of the world. It is the largest oil-producing state, accounting for 66% of Australia's oil (O'Mahony & Lobo, 2017;Ville, Wicken, & Dean, 2019). In 2017, the Australian government released a report on peak oil, which was entitled BITRE 117. ...
... Despite the potential benefits that this method has for biodiversity and soil fertility, the global adoption rate of organic farming is still low. It has not become mainstream for two main reasons: (1) lower farm yield and higher production costs in comparison to intensive agriculture (Uematsu & Mishra, 2012), and, as a result, (2) reliance on a niche segment of consumers and a small market share, as compared to conventional food (O'Mahony & Lobo, 2017). A growing number of studies focuses on improving the productivity of organic agriculture from sustainability perspectives; yet, the relationships between the behavior of final consumers and the decisions of upstream supply chain actors, in this case, farmers, have been poorly analyzed (Naik & Suresh, 2018;Taghikhah et al., 2019). ...
The current intense food production-consumption is one of the main sources of environmental pollution and contributes to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Organic farming is a potential way to reduce environmental impacts by excluding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers from the process. Despite ecological benefits, it is unlikely that conversion to organic can be financially viable for farmers, without additional support and incentives from consumers. This study models the interplay between consumer preferences and socio-environmental issues related to agriculture and food production. We operationalize the novel concept of extended agro-food supply chain and simulate adaptive behavior of farmers, food processors, retailers, and customers. Not only the operational factors (e.g., price, quantity, and lead time), but also the behavioral factors (e.g., attitude, perceived control, social norms, habits, and personal goals) of the food suppliers and consumers are considered in order to foster organic farming. We propose an integrated approach combining agent-based, discrete-event, and system dynamics modeling for a case of wine supply chain. Findings demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed model over the traditional sustainable supply chain models in incorporating the feedback between consumers and producers and analyzing management scenarios that can urge farmers to expand organic agriculture. Results further indicate that demand-side participation in transition pathways towards sustainable agriculture can become a time-consuming effort if not accompanied by the middle actors between consumers and farmers. In practice, our proposed model may serve as a decision-support tool to guide evidence-based policymaking in the food and agriculture sector.
... Research has indicated an increase in the consumption of organic foods in Europe, the United States and Australia, and, more recently, in countries such as China and India (9,10). ...
Introduction:
Introduction: in several countries, there is an increasing trend of consumers and distributors of organic food. Objective: to identify consumer motivation, a socioeconomic profile and possible sociopolitical actions for the development of public policy by the consumers of organic products supplied by 12 alternative food distribution networks in Medellín and Eastern Antioquia. Methods: qualitative study with semi-structured interviews and participant and non-participant observation. Results: the main reason for organic food consumption is personal wellbeing, specifically health, followed by care for the environment and social welfare because such consumption contributes to improving the quality of life of poor producers (farmers and indigenous people). The consumption of these foods is also in some cases a form of resistance against the food industry, agroindustry and supermarkets; however, this social awareness does not imply that consumers commit themselves to sociopolitical actions transcending to the collective sphere. Conclusion: action by local governments is required to develop strategies that consolidate the transformative potential of consumer practices regarding organic products from alternative food networks.
... The two extensions with the lowest levels of support were providing organic menu items (40 %) and providing seating areas for children (65 %). The relatively low support for organic menu items is likely to be primarily due to the substantially higher cost and more limited availability of organic produce in Australia (37) . In the case of seating areas, this variable had the highest 'already implemented' level (42 %), which may have resulted in some schools seeing this as a non-essential element of the policy. ...
Objective
School food policies are an important component of comprehensive strategies to address child obesity and improve children’s health. Evaluations have demonstrated that these policies can be initially well accepted and appropriately implemented, however little is known about how acceptance levels may change over time. The present study aimed to re-evaluate a school food policy 10 years after its introduction to assess key stakeholders’ support for various policy extensions that would strengthen the scope of the policy.
Design
Online surveys administered 1 year after policy introduction ( n 607, 2008) and 10 years after policy introduction ( n 307, 2016).
Setting
Western Australia.
Participants
School principals, teachers, canteen managers and presidents of parents & citizens associations from Western Australian Government primary schools.
Results
At both time points, and especially at time 2 (10 years post policy implementation), high levels of support were reported for the policy and possible policy extensions. Support was strongest for an additional requirement to integrate the canteen menu with the classroom health curriculum.
Conclusions
The results suggest that once a policy has become embedded into school practices, stakeholders may be receptive to modifications that strengthen the policy to enhance its potential effects on children’s diets.
... In this regard, the organization of organic production is most active in developing countries: there are 585,000 manufacturers in India, 203,602 in Ethiopia, and more than 200,000 in Mexico. Australia ranks first in the list of the countries with the highest organic land growth in 2015 [30] where 4,350 thousand hectares of land were certified as organic, the United States with 474,8 thousand hectares take the second place, and India with 460 thousand hectares -the third. Russia ranks seventh: in 2015, 139.3 thousand hectares were identified as organic lands, over 10 years -382 thousand hectares that account for only 0.2% of the total number of agricultural lands. ...
The state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of the healthy nutrition of the population includes a set of measures aimed at meeting the needs of various groups of the population for healthy nutrition, taking into account their traditions, habits and economic situation. The complex system development of the consumer food market, in addition to the economic aspect, covers the issues of public health, demography, effective nature management, resource saving and ecology. The current scientific approaches in the field of healthy food production involve the addition of functional ingredients, biologically active substances or probiotic microorganisms capable of replenishing the deficiency of necessary substances to a base product. However, in addition to their high nutritional value, healthy food products must be absolutely safe and be of high quality, which is extremely difficult to realize in the present conditions of raw material production. The review provides a rationale that the organic products manufactured using traditional technologies without the addition of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, food additives, hormonal and other drugs, can be attributed to healthy food products. The development of the organic sector of food production at the state level will allow not only to implement the adopted normative acts within the framework of the state policy of healthy nutrition, but also to fundamentally improve the situation in other areas: economy, health and ecology.
... The creation system of organic eggs showed to be of great importance for the consumers. The organic eggs sector has grown very much the last few years (Haas, 2015), being involved matters of vital importance such as health, quality, ethics, and trust (Husak et al., 2008;O'Mahony and Lobo, 2017;Miranda-de la Lama et al, 2017). Nevertheless, only frequent consumers of this variety of eggs are willing to pay more for the product, whereas the occasional consumers do not share this availability (Gerini et al., 2016). ...
The choice and consumption of eggs are made considering a consumers’ multidimensional perception, and their understanding becomes essential to the production targeting and the products’ success in the market. In this context, this work aimed to verify the consumers’ perception about the distinct types of hens’ eggs, using a projective technique of completion task combined with presentation of images. A hundred consumers (n = 100) evaluated the main factors, both positive and negative, involved at the purchase time of eggs besides estimating their price. Between the positive factors that guide the eggs’ consumption and purchase, the category with highest mention of terms was “Health,” whereas negatively it was highlighted the category “Price.” Concerning the perception of price, the results showed that the factory farm white eggs’ value was the one that least differed from the average market price, possibly due to the nearness and familiarity with this variety. The methodology of completion task combined with presentation of images proved as being a practical and efficient tool to capture the consumers’ perception of eggs, capable of providing valuable information to the ones involved in the production chain and commercialization of these products.
Organic food has important environmental and health benefits, decreasing the toxicity of agricultural production, improving soil quality, and overall resilience of farming. Increasing consumers’ demand for organic food reinforces the rate of organic farming adoption and the level of farmers' risk acceptance. Despite the recorded 20% growth in organically managed farmland, its global land area is still far less than expected, only 1.4%. Increasing demand for organic food is an important pathway towards sustainable food systems. We explore this consumer-centric approach by developing a theoretically- and empirically-grounded agent-based model. Three behavioral theories – theory of planned behavior, alphabet theory, and goal-framing – describe individual food purchasing decisions in response to policies. We take wine sector as an example to calibrate and validate the model for the case study of Sydney, Australia. The discrepancy between consumer intention and purchasing behavior for organic wine can be explained by a locked-in vicious cycle. We assess the effectiveness of different policies such as wine taxation, and informational-education campaigns to influence consumer choices. The model shows that these interventions are non-additive: raising consumer awareness and increasing tax on less environmentally friendly wines simultaneously is more successful in promoting organic wine than the sum of the two policies introduced separately. The phenomenon of undercover altruism amplifies the preference for organic wine, and the tipping point occurs at around 35% diffusion rate in the population. This research suggests policy implications to help decision-makers in the food sector make informed decisions about organic markets.
Organic food products are a complex object of technical regulation. It combines, on the one hand, the requirements to finished food products and the production processes, and, on the other hand, the principles of organic agriculture. In terms of organic products and features of its production, the Russian Federation is at the initial stage of legal framework formation, while the USA and EU countries have been involved in these issues for more than 20 years. However, the development of organic agriculture and the production of appropriate products have good prospects in Russia. The experience of countries with high growth rates of organic production showed that the key points for the successful formation of the organic food sector is the establishment of the legal framework and the development of state regulation and control. According to the law established in 2018, organic products are environmentally friendly agricultural products, raw materials, and food that meet the requirements of the Federal law of August 3, 2018, No. 280-FL: “On organic products and amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation”. The law will be the basis for legal self-determination of organic products and processes of their production. It might also serve as a stimulus for the formation and development of the organic sector of food products in Russia. The present review features a retrospective analysis of the formation of international regulatory norms in the sphere of organic products, the corresponding international laws, and the experience of advanced countries, as well as the current state of the legislation in some former Soviet republics and the Russian Federation.
Environmentalism has fast emerged as a worldwide phenomenon. Business firms too have risen to the occasion and have started responding to environmental challenges by practising green marketing strategies. Green consumerism has played a catalystic role in ushering corporate environmentalism and making business firms green marketing oriented. Based on the data collected through a field survey, the paper makes an assessment of the extent of environmental awareness, attitudes and behaviour prevalent among consumers in India and lists implications of the study findings for the government and non-governmental organizations engaged in marketing of green ideas and products in the country. In the concluding section, limitations of the study have been discussed and suggestions provided for undertaking more thorough investigations in the area.
Purpose
To examine consumers' beliefs about organic foods and their relationship with socio‐demographics and self‐transcendence (universal, benevolence) personal values.
Design/methodology/approach
A random questionnaire‐based mail survey of 500 Australian (Victorian) adults (58 per cent response) was used. The questionnaire included items on organic food beliefs, the importance of self‐transcendence values as guiding principles in life, and socio‐demographics. Statistical analyses included cross‐tabulations of organic food beliefs by socio‐demographics and multiple regression analyses of positive organic food beliefs with personal value and socio‐demographic items as the independent variables.
Findings
The majority of participants believed organic food to be healthier, tastier and better for the environment than conventional food. However, expense and lack of availability were strong barriers to the purchasing of organic foods. Generally, women were more positive about organic food than men (e.g. women were more likely to agree that organic food has more vitamins/minerals than conventional food). The personal value factor related to nature, environment and equality was the dominant predictor of positive organic food beliefs, followed by sex. These predictors accounted for 11 per cent of the variance.
Research limitations/implications
A survey response bias needs to be taken into account. However, the response rate was adequate for reporting and differences in age and education between participants and the Victorian population were taken into account in data presentation. Future understanding of consumers' use of organic foods will require the inclusion of a fairly extensive set of potential influences.
Practical implications
Communication appeals based on psychographics may be a more effective way to alter consumers' beliefs about organic foods than those based on demographic segmentation.
Originality/value
To the best of one's knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between personal values, socio‐demographics and organic food beliefs in a random population sample. This study is relevant to producers, processors and retailers of organic food and those involved with food and agricultural policy.
It has not been previously reported that the world's first "organic" farming society was the Australian Organic Farming and Gardening Society (AOFGS) which was founded in Australia in October 1944. The association was based in Sydney, New South Wales, and the first issue of its journal, the Organic Farming Digest (OFD), was dated April 1946 This was Australia's first, and the world's second, "organic" farming journal. The eighteen month delay between the founding of the society and the first publication of the journal was because paper was unavailable in Australia for that purpose during WWII. The society published a total of 378 articles in 29 issues from 1946 to 1954. Articles from Australia, UK, USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany and Denmark were published. Topics included: farming and gardening; health; environment; politics and economics; and animal welfare. More than 190 authors were published. British authors published included Sir Alfred Howard, Lady Louise Howard, Lady Eve Balfour, and Friend Sykes. American authors published included Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, Jerome Rodale, Gaylord Hauser, and Louis Bromfield. Australian authors from the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland were published. These included Sir Stanton Hicks, then Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at Adelaide University, NSW grazier Colonel Harold White, and Tasmanian Henry Shoobridge. More than 130 original articles were published, and other articles were reproduced from many sources including: Organic Gardening (USA); Bio-Dynamic (USA); Soil and Health (UK); Health and the Soil (UK); Mother Earth, (UK); Trees and the Earth (UK); Farmers Weekly (South Africa) and Compost Magazine (NZ). The Society was wound up in 1955, due to lack of financial support. The digests published by the AOFGS document a decade of the thoughts, aspirations, focus, theory and practice of Australia's first practitioners and proponents of organic farming, from the mid 1940s to the mid 1950s.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer attitudes and behavior towards organic products and products produced under the system of integrated management (SIM) and to compare the socioeconomic characteristics and attitudes that affect consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for these two different certification systems.
Design/methodology/approach
– The study is based on cross‐sectional data collected through a questionnaire survey. Respondents' attitudes towards the organic and SIM certification systems are examined. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was primarily applied to provide a more manageable set of variables relevant to attitudes. Those attitudes together with socioeconomic factors and variables relevant to respondents' motivations to food consumption were used for the estimation of the WTP for organic and SIM products.
Findings
– Findings suggest that consumers' level of awareness and information towards the studied certification systems is rather low especially for SIM products. This can be mainly attributed to the inadequate promotion and the low availability of certified products in the Greek market. The study also reveals that the WTP for organic products is higher among consumers who place much importance on health, consume organic fruits/vegetables and get information about food/nutrition issues from doctors/nutritionists/health institutes and magazines. WTP for SIM products is affected mainly by married consumers, regular buyers of organic products and those who consume frequently fruits/vegetables.
Originality/value
– This paper provides an outline of the level of awareness and trust of food quality certification systems by Greek consumers, a topic that has not been widely discussed in Greece. The findings can help all the involved bodies to avoid the impediments and develop an adequate marketing strategy for the effective promotion of certified food products.
Purpose
Seeks to provide answers to two questions: is willingness to pay (WTP) for organic products influenced by the same set of factors that affect purchasing of conventional foods? Does WTP for organic products vary according to different food categories?
Design/methodology/approach
Purchasers were approached during their food shopping in retail chains in Athens in July 2003. Sample inclusion is based on real awareness of the term “organic”. The questionnaire included in its first part a number of criteria that influence consumers when buying food. In the second part respondents were asked to indicate if any food products they buy were organic and to state how much more they were willing to pay. Information from the first part was analysed with factor analysis. With the help of t ‐value analysis, it was examined whether there is a statistically significant difference per product category between consumers who are willing to pay and consumers who are unwilling to pay in terms of the factors identified.
Findings
Consumers' stated WTP and the type and magnitude of factors that affect it differ according to the organic food category. These factors include food quality and security, trust in the certification, and, for some products, brand name. Organoleptic characteristics, prices and consumers' socio‐demographic profiles do not constitute determinants of organic WTP.
Research limitations/implications
Organic types of some fresh as well as processed food products do not exist in the Greek market. Moreover, the large number of t ‐tests conducted might result in Type I error.
Originality/value
Purchasing of organic food follows “basic‐highest frequency”, “basic‐average frequency”, and “non‐basic” discrimination. The most frequently consumed organic products are some basic components of the Greek diet. Only the factors “quality and security” and “trust” play an important role in defining WTP for most organic food categories. Consumers' attitudes towards both organic and PDO/PGI certifications converge towards a perception of high quality food. Approximately 26 percent of the sample exhibited a U‐shaped WTP trend for 14 out of 16 organic food categories in increments from 45 to 120 percent. All the above elements of originality are particularly valuable for organic food firms and policy/decision makers.
This paper presents a cross-cultural study of organic food consumption. Relationships between health and diet concern, environmental concern, confidence in the conventional food industry, demographic characteristics, and intensity of organic food consumption of consumers from Denmark (mature organic industry) and New Zealand (novice organic food industry) are investigated. The authors evaluate the adequacy of deficit value and market development conceptual frameworks to predict priority of these concerns related to the level of organic market development.
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to identify consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards organic products in Greece.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on a non‐probability quota sample of 660 respondents to explore the attitudes and behaviour of Greek consumers towards organic food products.
Findings
Greek consumers seem to be informed about environmental and health issues. They seek information about the nutritional value of food and demand more products free from chemical residues. The results show that most consumers associate organic consumption mainly with fruit and vegetables. Although demographics seem to affect attitudes towards organics, their value in explaining actual behaviour is minimal.
Research limitations/implications
It is recognized that the data gathered in this study focus on the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The specific area though, is considered to be representative of the total Greek population. The results confirm that health, concern for the environment, animal welfare and support of the local economy are drivers of organic consumption. However, there is an indication that the importance of motives and barriers may vary for different product categories and perhaps future research should focus on product segmentation.
Practical implications
Although certain similarities in consumers' attitudes towards organic food products have been identified, this paper records the variation in behaviour towards organics among the various consumer groups examined in Greece, and highlights the gap between attitudes and actual behaviour. Given the complexity of consumer decision making, future research should explore the other value trade‐offs that consumers make.
Originality/value
This paper attempts to provide evidence on the relatively under researched area of organics attitudes and behaviour in Greece.
Research into organic production is internationally widespread but has rarely focused on producer's motivations for adopting organic farming techniques and whether organic consumers share their values. As conventional agricultural prices remain depressed, questions arise surrounding producer's motivations towards organic production. For example, are motivations based on economic rather than ethical decisions? Additionally, what motivations underpin consumer's organic purchases and are those values shared between producers and consumers? Using postal questionnaires, the attitudes and motivations of both producers and consumers towards organic livestock production, are explored. Future recommendations are made to the industry with regard to the UK market for organically produced meat.
The adoption of different food quality assurance schemes by the EU, such as the organic label, has been a response to the growing demand for certified quality food products among the European consumers. Several useful benefits have been claimed for these schemes, including their value as marketing strategies. The present study develops at a two-fold level: first, it attempts to offer more insights into the Greek organic consumer profile, using a nationally representative sample of 1,612 households. Second, the study examines the effectiveness of the organic label as a marketing strategic orientation, given that addressing the highly motivated, quality conscious consumer is the core objective of any food quality assurance policy. The use of conjoint analysis in exploring organic buyers' Willingness to Pay (WTP) for a variety of organic products (olive oil, raisins, bread, oranges and wine from organic grapes) is selected as the most appropriate approach to that target.
Developing branded food products, that signal higher standards, presents a challenge to processors in newly emerging markets. Many studies have been conducted to learn about consumer awareness and willingness to pay for higher quality products with particular attention to local origin, organic, or environmentally friendly products in developed countries. This study focuses on attributes that may increase demand for domestic cheese in Macedonia. We find the willingness to pay to premiums for higher quality, taste, consistency and certified “safe” cheese is relatively high, and with respect to determining target markets, income, region, shopping behavior and various other demographics all help to delineate potential consumers of premium cheese.
Despite the increased documentation of consumers’ purchases of organic food products, the motivations for such purchases are relatively under-researched. An individual’s choice of food products can be linked clearly to ethical stances, but ethical choices can also vary from individual to individual, from industry to industry and among countries. Consequently, this paper investigates the degree to which ethical beliefs influence Scottish consumer perceptions, beliefs, attitudes and purchasing decisions, with regard to organic dairy products. Consumer purchasing motivations are revealed as being self-interest-centred (i.e. better tasting, safer), rather than altruistic. Therefore, to achieve future market development, organic dairy producers cannot rely upon the minority of hardcore green consumers to sustain growth, but must aim to modify perceptions and attitudes of larger consumer segments by implementing educational marketing campaigns that reinforce the ethical, environmental and societal benefits of organic production.
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to explore the values that underlie consumers purchasing decisions of organic food.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on data from focus groups and laddering interviews with a total of 181 regular and occasional consumers of organic food that were contrasted with survey results of other studies.
Findings
The results show that most consumers associate organic at first with vegetables and fruit and a healthy diet with organic products. Fruit and vegetables are also the first and in many cases only experience with buying organic product. The decision‐making process is complex and the importance of motives and barriers may vary between product categories.
Research limitations/implications
While further research would be required to facilitate full understanding of the consumer‐decision making process with regard to organic produce, this work indicates the complexity of the process and the likelihood of variation between different product categories. Future research should consider tradeoffs that consumers make between values and product as well as consumer segmentation.
Originality/value
Prior research concerning the consumer decision‐making process with regard to organically produced food is limited. Theses findings have implications for future sector‐based communications to consumers and, potentially, for product development and labelling.
The research agendas of psychologists and economists now have several overlaps, with behavioural economics providing theoretical and experimental study of the relationship between behaviour and choice, and hedonic psychology discussing appropriate measures of outcomes of choice in terms of overall utility or life satisfaction. Here we model the relationship between values (understood as principles guiding behaviour), choices and their final outcomes in terms of life satisfaction, and use data from the BHPS to assess whether our ideas on what is important in life (individual values) are broadly connected to what we experience as important in our lives (life satisfaction).
In investigating purchases of consumers familiar with organic food products, emphasis must be placed on the psychological and socio-economic factors determining their purchasing attitudes. To this end, the present study is undertaken as an investigative research, based on psychometric methods. Regression analysis is then used to assess the importance of each investigated factor. The most important factors in actual organic food purchases are found to be: familiarity with organic food enhanced by the conception of differences existing between organic and conventional food and the thoughtful way consumers purchase their food products. The increasing variety of organic products and organic certification labels are also important.
In recent decades there has been a tendency towards a “standardization” in the consumer habits of people living in countries with advanced economic development. This has been caused both by the change in the products available and in lifestyles and by the “power” acquired by modern distribution channels (large retail distribution). Apart from this development, however, there has been increasing interest, particularly in the last ten years, in dietary, health and hygiene products characterized by high quality production and content, which may or may not be closely connected with the history and/or culture of the territory. In order, therefore, to understand the mechanisms that regulate the consumer market of organic produce better, a survey was carried out to define the use, purchase and sensitivity to the price of these products in relation to the preferences expressed by consumers as regards the benefits associated with the consumption.
Purpose of this paper
The market for organic products in Croatia is at the beginning of its development. There is no sufficient knowledge about organic consumers in Croatia. The objective of this paper is to gain knowledge about consumer attitudes toward organic products in the capital of Croatia.
Design/methodology/approach
The consumers’ attitudes were collected by means of a face‐to‐face survey. Attitudes, purchase frequency, supply satisfaction and beliefs about organic foods were studied with a sample of 179 consumers. The data obtained from the survey were analysed with univariate analysis, chi‐square test, ANOVA and correlation analysis.
Findings
Croatian consumers consider organically‐grown products as very healthy, of good quality and tasty. However, these products are perceived as rather expensive and of questionable appearance. Consumers are not very familiar with the supply of ecologically‐grown products in the market. Some groups of consumers have more positive attitudes toward organic products, and they exhibit an increased willingness to pay higher prices for these products. Therefore, marketing strategies for organic products should be targeted towards such groups.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study is the choice of the sample. Further research is needed to discriminate between consumer groups, and to determine which segments are most appropriate for organic product marketing.
Practical implications
According to the research results an important task for the producers will be to increase consumers’ knowledge of what an organic product is and how to differentiate it in the marketplace.
Originality/value
This paper gives the first insight into buying behavior and attitudes of organic consumers in Zagreb. The results of the research could be used for planning further marketing activities.
A postal survey was sent to 150 supermarkets and 112 wholefood shops in
the UK; response rates were 53 and 67 per cent, respectively. A
telephone survey with 242 members of the general public was conducted in
Scotland; there was a 63 per cent positive response. Research found that
29 per cent of the general public bought organic foods at some time.
This paper is derived from a larger scale project investigating consumer attitudes towards organic food in the UK. Presents focus group results on consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviour in relation to two key interrelated food trends: organic food and animal welfare. The results indicate that consumers often confuse organic and free-range products because they believe that “organic” is equivalent to “free-range” food. Focus group discussions were conducted to identify the main beliefs and attitudes towards organic food of both organic and non-organic food buyers. Results indicate that, although health and food safety concerns are the main motives for organic food purchases, ethical concerns, specifically in relation to standards of animal welfare, play a significant influencing role in the decision to purchase organic food. The results are consistent with parallel research into consumer concerns about animal welfare, which showed that consumers are primarily concerned about food safety issues. Furthermore, the research illustrates the central outcome that animal welfare is used by consumers as an indicator of other, more important product attributes, such as safety and the impact on health. Indeed, ethical considerations seem to motivate the purchase of organic food and free-range products and, therefore, may be viewed as interrelated. However, such ethical frameworks are closely related, if not contingent upon, the quality of the product, which includes perceptions of higher standards of safety and healthiness. Based on the qualitative data, suggests that the organic market could take advantage of research on consumer motivation to buy free-range products, by embodying ethical concerns as an indicator of product quality.
A series of studies, conducted over the period 1989 to 1993, based
on actual purchasing patterns, seeks to quantify the extent of purchase
of organic food and the consumer's commitment. The most commonly
expressed motives for purchasing organic food have become consideration
for the environment and health reasons. Availability and price are the
chief factors which inhibit the purchase of organic food. A profile of
actual purchasers of organic produce shows them to be female aged 30-45,
with children and having a higher level of disposable income. This
research has demonstrated that the primary factor in organic food
purchase is the consumer's level of personal disposable income. There
would appear to be a distinction between those who claim to be
interested in the environment and those who regularly buy organic
products.
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide local authorities, consumers, retailers and vendors information about the consumer profile of shoppers at the organic farmers market that could be used for devising strategies for local organic market development.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey included information about the socio‐demographic, product characteristics and motives to purchase the product by the organic consumer. The selection of persons to be surveyed was random. The location of the survey was “La Feria del Trueque”, the largest organic farmers market in Costa Rica. During February 2004, 280 surveys were conducted and in 2005, 200 surveys. A single database was developed on the outcomes of the analysis of variance conducted. In order to detect the variables influencing the money spent monthly on organic fresh fruits and vegetables products and rank their importance, an ordinal probit model was specified using a restricted procedure.
Findings
The organic consumer in Costa Rica appears to be largely of middle age, with high monthly family incomes, female the primary buyer and highly educated. With an average family size of four members, one third of its income is spent on food and between 12 and 20 percent on organic fruits and vegetables and there seems to be a limit of around 20 percent in relation to the premium they are willing to pay for organic products. The organic consumer in Costa Rica recognizing the “obvious” differences seems to be somewhat similar to the organic consumer in the USA, Canada and Europe.
Practical implications
The similarities detected are significant for those looking to import and sell fresh and processed organic products in Central America, because they can apply international information to open the “local markets”, while they develop their local market research information. Buyers and sellers can use the information of this study to better negotiate local purchasing conditions. At the same time it will help local producers to improve its negotiations capabilities with the new international retailers arriving in Costa Rica.
Originality/value
The central objectives of this study are to identify the consumer profile of Costa Rica of those buying organic products at the organic farmers markets, and to determine the key variables influencing the consumer expenditures for organic products at the farmers organic markets.
The aim of the overall project is to understand in depth the behavioural process of parents with respect to organic food. Its main objectives are to identify: beliefs, with respect to organic food, of parents who buy and do not buy organic food; the positive as well as negative attitudes towards organic food of those who buy and do not buy organic food; the impact of those attitudes on food choice for parents who buy and do not buy organic food; and to model the food choice behaviour of parents with respect to organic food. Employs both qualitative and quantitative methods. Reports the results of the second qualitative phase of the project which involved 40 laddering interviews, which were conducted in Reading, UK. The means-end chain approach was used. The key idea is that product attributes are a means for consumers to obtain desired ends. Participants were parents with children aged 4-12 years old, who were responsible for food purchases in their families and belonged to ABC1 class. The life values which were revealed mainly fall into three main broad categories. Consumers’ human, animal and environment centred values form the key motivating factors for organic food purchase. Both laddering and focus group interviews have generated certain hypotheses that are tested through the quantitative phase of the project, which uses a sample survey.
Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are the cause of 86% of all deaths in the EU and 65% of deaths worldwide. A third of these deaths occur before the age of sixty years. The NCDs affect 40% of the adult population of the EU and two thirds of the population reaching retirement age suffers from two or more NCDs. The NCDs are a global epidemic challenging economic growth in most countries. According to the WHO, NCDs are one of the major threats to worldwide social and economic development in the 21st century. The problem is of great concern to the international community and was discussed at a High level meeting at the UN General Assembly in September 2011. In this paper we review the epidemic of NCDs both from a national and international perspective. We discuss the causes and consequences. In a second review paper we reflect on the political health policy issues raised by the international community in order to respond to the problem. These issues will become a major challenge for social and economic development in most countries of the world in the coming decades. Key words: NCDs, Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, Population based prevention, public health Correspondence: Karl Andersen, andersen@landspitali.is.
The aim of the present study is to examine consumer factors that affect the demand of organic olive oil (socioeconomic characteristics as well as attitudes towards organic products, food safety and the environment). Heckman approach for single equation procedure was applied in order to (1) identify the profile of regular buyers of organic olive oil based on the aforementioned factors and (2) to estimate income elasticity for the same product. Results indicate that the demand for or ganic olive oil is strongly affected by socioeconomic characteristics such as income size and occupation status, and to a lesser extent by attitudes towards organic products, food safety and the environment.
The main purpose of this work consists of displaying the different attitudes of men and women towards organic food, and their willingness to pay for it, in three different consumer intensities: usual, occasional and potential consumers. Several surveys have been carried out to obtain a representative sample of regular food purchasers living in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Statistic analysis previously detecting significant differences with regard to gender and type of consumer has been conducted by univariate analysis to describe attitudes, and multivariate analysis, through ‘logit’ models, to calculate maximum willingness to pay. Results show that women have a more favourable attitude (directly related to their lifestyle) to the purchase and consumption of organic food than men, whereas men are inclined to pay a higher price for organic food than women. In general, men are disposed to pay a higher increase in price than women.
This study investigates the impact of economic and marketing variables (quality, price, and distribution), emotions (fear, empathy, and guilt), social norms, and environment-related variables (environmental concern, green behaviour, and perceived consumer effectiveness) on Dutch consumers' preference for, and purchase frequency of, organic meat. The results show that consumers' purchase of organic meat is based on both 'rational' economic motives and emotional motives. © Oxford University Press and Foundation for the European Review of Agricultural Economics 2005; all rights reserved.
Purpose
– The purpose of this article is to study whether preference for a product increased, or decreased, as a consequence of information that the product was either eco‐ or fair trade labelled. An additional purpose was to investigate associations between importance attached to values and preference for eco‐ and fair‐trade labelled food products.
Design/methodology/approach
– Effects of information that orange juice was either eco‐ or fair trade labelled were studied in an experimental setting, with a sample of Swedish students. Importance attached to values was measured with the list of values (LOV) scale. Taste preference was the evaluated aspect.
Findings
– No significant effects of the experimental manipulation were observed. Attaching greater importance to the value “warm relationships with others” was associated with a more favourable rating of the taste of both eco‐ and fair‐trade labelled juices. The value “security” was positively associated with an increased taste preference for the group exposed to the fair trade, but not the eco, label.
Originality/value
– This paper provides knowledge about the characteristics of environmentally and ethically concerned consumers.
Producers are interested in developing labelling schemes that go ‘beyond organic’ to address ethical criteria not included the US Department of Agriculture organic standards. However, consumer interests in labels that are not as widely available as organic in the market are poorly understood. This study reports results of focus-group research and a survey of 1000 households in the Central Coast region of California to determine which standards consumers are most interested in supporting through their purchases. The results indicate that standards for the humane treatment of animals have the highest level of support, followed by a standard for local origin, and for a living wage for workers involved in producing food. Logistic regression analysis suggests that humane is more likely to be chosen by women, European-Americans, younger people and frequent organic purchasers. Locally grown was preferred by older people and households with children. A living wage for workers involved in food production was selected more often by Latinos. Although a characterization of trends is not possible due to a cross-sectional design, the results suggest some potential directions for producers in this region who are willing to supply unmet consumer demands for ethical criteria. There are three basic directions that new and emerging labels may take with respect to US national organic standards: (1) separate from organic; (2) institutionally separate, but tightly integrated with organic; and (3) intended to supplant organic. The success of each of these strategies will depend on how much trust consumers continue to place in government oversight of organic food. The study results also suggest that the movement for a more sustainable food system would benefit from devoting more attention to issues of animal rights and social justice.
The role of ethical motives in consumers' choice of organic food was investigated. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted on a representative sample of 1283 Norwegian adults. The relations between ethical food choice motives, attitudes and intention to consume organic food was studied by estimating a structural equation model. Environmental and animal rights issues had a strong influence on attitudes towards organic food, suggesting that the more people are concerned about these issues, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food, and the more likely it is that they will consume organic food. Also, political motives had some positive influence on attitudes, while religion was not important as a food choice criterion. Implications of our findings for marketers are discussed.
Copyright
Abstract In Spain, consumption of organic products has not kept pace with production. Up till now, foreign markets have been a natural destination for excess supply. However, world trade liberalization might cause important commercial problems to Spanish producers that could be partially solved by enlarging the domestic market. The goal of this paper is to assess the opportunity for such enlargement focusing on two main aspects: consumers’ and retailers’ attitudes and willingness to pay for organic products. Concerns about health, natural diets or environmental issues could stimulate consumption, while retailing dynamism and competition to gain new market segments might favour distribution. Both aspects are investigated through two surveys addressed to consumers and retailers in two Spanish towns. The results confirm that only a small proportion of consumers and distributors show attitudes that might favour demand expansion. The most sensitized segments are willing to pay more for organic products, but this premium is still very far from the prevailing gap between conventional and organic food products.
Health-related determinants of organic food consumption in a sample of customers of health and natural food stores were compared to those in a nationwide representative household sample. Organic food buyers considered themselves more responsible for their own health and were more likely to undertake preventive health action than the general population. Wholesomeness, absence of chemicals, environment friendliness, and a better taste were the primary reasons to buy organic foods. The customers of health and natural food stores found appearance, ease of preparation, and fitness for slimming less important than the nationwide sample. Stepwise discriminant analyses showed that buyer groups were distinguished best on the basis of education, body mass index, scores on the Health Locus of Control scales, or interest in vegetarianism and naturopathy. The differences between buyers and non-buyers on a multitude of measures suggest that organic food consumption is part of a way of life. It results from an ideology, connected to a particular value system, that affects personality measures, attitudes, and consumption behavior.
Examines the potential of organic foods in European markets, focusing on consumer demand for organic foods and the possibilities for market expansion.. Aims to assess potential sales, to identify the factors determining buying propensity, and to identify the main market barriers. Identifies the types of consumers who purchase organic foods, classifying them according to socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Elucidates the motives for purchasing and the willingness to pay. Identifies the main market barriers and bottlenecks,
and examins the potential for future expansion.
Interviews examining the food choice process were conducted with 29 adults, primarily individuals making grocery store food choice decisions, who were sampled for their diversity. These people were asked about how they chose foods when shopping and in other settings, and what influenced their choices. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were analysed using qualitative methods that included constant comparison, concept mapping, and case summaries, and a conceptual food choice process model was developed. Data from the interviews are presented to illustrate the structure of this conceptual model. People's life course experiences affected major influences on food choice that included ideals, personal factors, resources, social contexts and the food context. These influences informed the development of personal systems for making food choices that incorporated value negotiations and behavioral strategies. Value negotiations weighed sensory perceptions, monetary considerations, health and nutrition beliefs and concerns, convenience, social relationships and quality of food choice decisions. Strategies employed to simplify the food choice process developed over time. The conceptual food choice process model represents the rich and complex bases of food practices, and provides a theoretical framework for research and practice in nutrition.
We designed a questionnaire concerned with attitudes and behaviour towards organic foods, environmentally friendly behaviour (EFB), and perceived consequences of organic food choice in terms of human health, the environment and animal welfare. It was mailed in 1998 to a random nation-wide sample of 2000 Swedish citizens, ages 18-65 years, and 1154 (58%) responded. Self-reported purchase of organic foods was most strongly related to perceived benefit for human health. Performance of EFBs such as refraining from car driving was also a good predictor of purchase frequency. The results indicate that egoistic motives are better predictors of the purchase of organic foods than are altruistic motives.
There have been many studies of what influences consumers in their decisions to purchase or consume organic foods, mainly concerned with fresh organic foods. These show a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior with people being positive about organic foods but often not purchasing them. This discrepancy seems to be explained by the fact that consumers do not consider "organically produced" to be an important purchase criterion, that organic foods are not perceived to surpass conventional foods regarding taste and shelf life (two qualities rated to be of great importance), and because of the perceived premium prices of organic foods. In two Swedish studies, health benefits were demonstrated to be more strongly related to attitudes and behavior toward organic foods than were perceived environmental benefits. A new European Union (EU) project will investigate the influences on both fresh and processed organic foods and investigate the role of moral, ethical, and affective influences on choice across eight EU countries.