Individualist and collectivist consumer motivations in local organic food markets

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Schrank ◽  
Katrina Running
Keyword(s):  
Organic Food ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Supported Agriculture ◽  
Environmentally Conscious ◽  
Consumer Orientation ◽  
Consumer Interests ◽  
Motivational Structure ◽  
Organic Food Consumption ◽  
Economic Engagement ◽  
Nutritional Benefits

Community-Supported Agriculture programs have become a popular model for providing consumers with direct economic engagement with independent local organic farms. The degree to which Community-Supported Agriculture members are unified in their identity and consumer interests, however, is unclear. One possibility is that mostly individual interests including supposed nutritional benefits, superior taste, and avoidance of synthetic pesticides motivate Community-Supported Agriculture members. Another is that they are motivated more by environmental and economic concerns at the collective level. Our study engages this debate by analyzing emergent themes in consumers’ motivational narratives using interview data with 58 members of a Community-Supported Agriculture program in a large southwestern city in the United States. We find that Community-Supported Agriculture members are largely unified in their consumer orientation and pursue individualist and collectivist goals equally. In other words, Community-Supported Agriculture members are neither primarily altruistic nor egoistic consumers, but they approach their consumption as a holistic act. Specifically, they emphasize environmental issues and a commitment to sustainability through local organic consumption as a pathway to individual health. This suggests that an internally homogeneous, yet multidimensional, framework constitutes the motivational structure of local organic food consumption. We argue this framework aligns with an emerging eco-habitus exhibited in environmentally conscious market fields that translate into both collective and individual benefits.

scholarly journals Inverse Association between Organic Food Purchase and Diabetes Mellitus in US Adults

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangbo Sun ◽  
Buyun Liu ◽  
Yang Du ◽  
Linda Snetselaar ◽  
Qi Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Food ◽  
The United States ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Organic Foods ◽  
Family History Of Diabetes ◽  
Food Purchase ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Organic Food Consumption

Background: The organic food market has grown rapidly worldwide in the past 15 years. However, evidence concerning the health effects of organic foods is scarce. We evaluated the cross-sectional association of organic food purchase, as a proxy of organic food consumption, with diabetes in a nationally representative population. Methods: We included 8199 participants aged ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2008 and 2009–2010. Organic food purchase and frequency were ascertained by questionnaires. Diabetes was defined as a self-reported physician diagnosis or a hemoglobin A1c level ≥6.5% or both. We used logistic regression with sample weights to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Individuals who reported purchasing organic foods were less likely to have diabetes compared to those who did not report organic food purchase. After adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, family history of diabetes, socioeconomic status, and dietary and lifestyle factors, the OR of diabetes associated with organic food purchase was 0.80 (95% CI 0.68–0.93). The association remained significant after additional adjustment for BMI with OR of 0.80 (0.69–0.94). Conclusions: In a nationally representative population, frequent organic food purchase was inversely associated with diabetes prevalence in adults in the United States.

The role of environmentally conscious purchase behaviour and green scepticism in organic food consumption

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 2411-2424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursa Golob ◽  
Mateja Kos Koklic ◽  
Klement Podnar ◽  
Vesna Zabkar
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Environmentally Conscious ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organic Food Consumption ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Despite numerous scholarly attempts, there is a lack of consensus regarding the relevance of various factors used to promote organic food consumption. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of environmentally conscious purchase behaviour (ECPB) and green scepticism on organic food consumption. Moreover, the paper examines the indirect impact of attitudinal and contextual forces on organic food consumption (through ECPB). Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual model of organic food consumption. Data were collected through an online survey on a sample of 462 consumers in Slovenia. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships. Findings The findings indicate that ECPB positively and green scepticism negatively affects organic food consumption. In addition, ECPB is positively influenced by personal and social norms, perceived availability and consumer sustainability orientation. Interestingly, the social norms exert the strongest indirect effect on organic food consumption. Research limitations/implications This study informs organic food producers and policy makers about the relative importance of ECPB and scepticism for increasing organic food consumption. It also highlights the role of general attitudinal and contextual factors for ECPB and organic food consumption. Originality/value The proposed model enables a better understanding of the relevance of ECPB, its antecedents and green scepticism as (direct or indirect) determinants of organic food consumption.

Accidental Sustainability

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Jones
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
The United States ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Natural Beauty ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Whole Foods

This chapter examines the scaling and diffusion of green entrepreneurship between 1980 and the present. It explores how entrepreneurs and business leaders promoted the idea that business and sustainability were compatible. It then examines the rapid growth of organic foods, natural beauty, ecological architecture, and eco-tourism. Green firms sometimes grew to a large scale, such as the retailer Whole Foods Market in the United States. The chapter explores how greater mainstreaming of these businesses resulted in a new set of challenges arising from scaling. Organic food was now transported across large distances causing a negative impact on carbon emissions. More eco-tourism resulted in more air travel and bigger airports. In other industries scaling had a more positive impact. Towns were major polluters, so more ecological buildings had a positive impact.

Population survey of attitudes and beliefs regarding organic, genetically modified, and irradiated foods

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane A Gwira Baumblatt ◽  
L Rand Carpenter ◽  
Caleb Wiedeman ◽  
John R Dunn ◽  
William Schaffner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Prevalence Ratio ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Consumer Health ◽  
Organic Foods ◽  
Gm Foods ◽  
Irradiated Foods ◽  
Organic Food Consumption

Background: Sales of organic foods are increasing due to public demand, while genetically modified (GM) and irradiated foods are often viewed with suspicion. Aim: The aim of this research was to examine consumer attitudes toward organic, GM and irradiated foods to direct educational efforts regarding their consumption Methods: A telephone survey of 1838 residents in Tennessee, USA was conducted regarding organic, GM, and irradiated foods. Results: Approximately half of respondents (50.4%) purchased organic food during the previous 6 months (‘consumers’). The most common beliefs about organic foods by consumers were higher cost (92%), and fewer pesticides (89%). Consumers were more likely than non-consumers to believe organic food tasted better (prevalence ratio 3.6; 95% confidence interval 3.02–4.23). A minority of respondents were familiar with GM foods (33%) and irradiated foods (22%). Conclusion: Organic food consumption is common in Tennessee, but knowledge about GM and irradiated foods is less common. Consumer health education should emphasize the benefits of these food options, and the safety of GM and irradiated foods.

Narrowing the gap: Factors driving organic food consumption

2017 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 1438-1447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brahim Chekima ◽  
Aisat Igau @ Oswald ◽  
Syed Azizi Wafa Syed Khalid Wafa ◽  
Khadidja Chekima
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Organic Food Consumption

Green Consumption

2019 ◽  
pp. 376-395
Author(s):  
Ozan Kaya ◽  
Feridun Duman
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
The State ◽  
Green Marketing ◽  
Green Consumption ◽  
Green Consumers ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Organic Food Consumption

The main purpose of this chapter is to reveal the profile of organic food consumers and the factors that affect consumers' motivation for organic food consumption as being one of the most important aspects of green marketing and green consumption. Therefore, this study first dealt with green consumers and green consumption and then, organic food consumption and the state of organic food market were evaluated and finally, an empirical research was conducted with 393 respondents in order to better determine the consumers of organic food consumption in Turkey. According to the findings, four motivations were found in influencing the behavior of organic food consumption. These are: health, ecological and social welfare, sensory appeal and natural contents. More specifically, this research reveals that those that have children participated in this research frequently consume organic food.

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