Evidence from Retail Food Markets That Consumers Are Confused by Natural and Organic Food Labels

The organic sector is one of the fastest growing food markets in the developed world, with a significant number of consumers continuing to prioritise these products that are perceived to be healthier and more sustainably sourced. The body of existing research has identified that very few consumers are dedicated organic food buyers hence most are purchasing it only some of the time. The most commonly identified barriers to purchasing more are associated with price premiums and limited availability. This paper adds to the literature by exploring another barrier, that of potentially inadequate information on product labels. Based on a large study of consumers in Australia (N=1011) findings show the majority feel information provided on labels is inadequate, and that this has a negative impact on their purchasing behaviour. Priorities for the organic industry to address this consumer concern are enhancing visibility and confidence in organic certification logos, and explaining what organic food is on product labels. Enhancing these marketing communications by providing supporting information via the Internet, as it is now more important than product labels, is likely to further enhance sales.

Download Full-text

Specifics of Organic Food Markets’ Demand

Contemporary Agriculture ◽

10.2478/contagri-2018-0015 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marija Nikolić

Keyword(s):

Organic Food ◽

Food Markets

Download Full-text

SPATIAL CONCENTRATION AS A PREMISE FOR BUILDING RELATIONS: AN APPLICATION IN POLISH ORGANIC FOOD CLUSTERS

Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development ◽

10.17306/j.jard.2019.01118 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Dominika Kuberska ◽

Eleanor Doyle

Keyword(s):

Organic Food ◽

Location Decisions ◽

Quality Inspection ◽

Geographic Proximity ◽

Food Markets ◽

Cluster Development ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Food Market ◽

Further Development ◽

Foreign Competitors

Economic activity is embedded in the reality of a given region and market structure. This regularity also materializes in agri-food markets, the organic food market among them. Location plays an important role in building competitive advantage. Geographic proximity which results from location decisions of entities operating within an industry is a significant condition for the undertaken market activities. The accumulation of entities when taking the form of clusters generates positive effects. Relations are established within their borders that should result in the development of the market and its participants. The main aim of the article is to determine the existence of premises for identifying clusters in the Polish organic food market which can be the basis for building relations resulting in its further development. The implementation of such aim was carried out based on data obtained from Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (IJHARS) and the Eurostat database. The analysis focused on the estimation and assessment of the concentration of entities on the organic food market in Poland taking regional perspective into consideration. In the course of the research, premises indicating the possibility of cluster development on the Polish organic food market were identified. Their structure should enable establishing relations that could translate into further development of the entities as well as the entire market against the foreign competitors.

Download Full-text

Fecal Contamination on Produce from Wholesale and Retail Food Markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.17-0255 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 98 (1) ◽

pp. 287-294 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Angela R. Harris ◽

Mohammad Aminul Islam ◽

Leanne Unicomb ◽

Alexandria B. Boehm ◽

Stephen Luby ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fecal Contamination ◽

Food Markets ◽

Retail Food

Download Full-text

Sharing economy approach for the development of the organic food market in India

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal ◽

10.1108/meq-03-2020-0060 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 114-126

Author(s):

Neeraj Dangi ◽

Sapna A. Narula

Keyword(s):

Organic Food ◽

Sharing Economy ◽

Farmers Markets ◽

Health Food ◽

Food Markets ◽

Demand And Supply ◽

Content Type ◽

Study Approach ◽

Organic Farmers ◽

Food Market

PurposeThis paper explores the contextual relevance of sharing economy for the organic food market in an emerging economy like India.Design/methodology/approachCase study approach was used to collect empirical data from different types of organic food markets.FindingsOrganic food farmers markets compared to online and health food stores tends to facilitate sharing economy more since it helps them to build value, scale and trust. By sharing resources, skills and spaces, organic farmers markets have increased organic food availability, reduced its cost of certification and operation besides managing consumer trust. Subjective influence through social media and offline interaction reduces information asymmetry at zero marginal cost. Organic food producers/retailers can get a competitive advantage by tapping underutilized assets to create value and opportunities besides overcoming their demand and supply constraints.Originality/valueThe research offers a fresh perspective to the organic food sector, particularly in emerging economies like India. It could assist all stakeholders to overcome the current demand and supply challenges faced in organic food markets.

Download Full-text

Organic food labels as a signal of sensory quality—insights from a cross-cultural consumer survey

Organic Agriculture ◽

10.1007/s13165-013-0046-y ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 57-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Sarah Hemmerling ◽

Tim Obermowe ◽

Maurizio Canavari ◽

Katia Laura Sidali ◽

Hanna Stolz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensory Quality ◽

Organic Food ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Consumer Survey ◽

Food Labels

Download Full-text

Consumers' perception of organic food products and organic labels in Serbia

Marketing ◽

10.5937/markt2101023f ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (1) ◽

pp. 23-31

Author(s):

Jelena Filipović ◽

Saša Veljković ◽

Galjina Ognjanov

Keyword(s):

Organic Food ◽

Meat Products ◽

Food Products ◽

Ethnographic Research ◽

Food Labels ◽

Managerial Implication ◽

Quantitative Content ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Organic Products ◽

High Level

The relevance of the market of the organic products is constantly on the rise, however, consumers' awareness on this matter is still understudied. Aiming to bridge this gap, we conducted ethnographic research within 6 households in three different locations in a period of 12 months. The sample units have been selected as multi-person households in accordance with previously set criteria, including age, gender, geographic and socio-economic characteristics. Qualitative analysis as well as quantitative content analysis using NVivo software package have shown that organic has been among the most frequently mentioned words in the context of food labels, and it has been mostly taken into consideration when speaking about diary, fruit and meat products. The informants have shown high level of trust in organic labels. In line with that, we further discuss the importance of customer awareness with regard to labeling organic food products as well as positive attitudes toward labels in general, their readiness to read the labels, trust in labels and pay a higher prices when comparing with the conventional food products. Finally, we provide managerial implication of our findings and recommendations for further research.

Download Full-text

Organic Agriculture

Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies - Agrifood Economics and Sustainable Development in Contemporary Society ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5739-5.ch013 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 275-293

Author(s):

Mirela Stoian ◽

Diana Caprita

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Organic Agriculture ◽

Economic Activity ◽

Organic Food ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Food Markets ◽

Viable Solution ◽

Production And Consumption ◽

Organic Products ◽

Certified Organic

Promoting sustainability, including the production and consumption of food, is badly needed nowadays, given the fact that consumers are increasingly concerned about protecting their health, through a thorough verification of food quality. From this perspective, organic food may represent a viable solution for a healthier future. Currently, we are witnessing a substantial increase in the number of countries, organizations, and companies encouraging organic farming, an economic activity that involves environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The main objective of this chapter is to reveal the growing importance of organic farming to the food markets. This research will also focus on presenting a very detailed analysis of the defining elements of organic agriculture, such as the evolution of certified organic surfaces, both contributory and disfavoring factors of the developing organic agriculture, and last but not least, overall outlook for global consumption of certified organic products.

Download Full-text