scholarly journals Is Organic Food Becoming Less Safe? A Longitudinal Analysis of Conventional and Organic Product Recalls

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 13540
Author(s):  
Mesbahuddin Chowdhury ◽  
Pavel Castka ◽  
Daniel Prajogo ◽  
Xiaoli Zhao ◽  
Lincoln C. Wood

Organic products are often portrayed as a healthy alternative—grown in a sustainable way, often locally and subject to external certification scrutiny. However, recent high-profile cases of contaminated organic food have raised questions about the risks associated with organic produce: is organic produce becoming less safe and more risky? The context for this investigation is in the realm of food product recalls. Based on 2010–2017 panel data from the US on food product recalls (with 2721 observations), this paper compares the volume of recalls (adjusted for the growth of sales) between conventional and organic food. This paper further addresses two food-related risks: design risk (a risk that is present in the development of food; such as the use of unapproved ingredients or the omission of some ingredients on the food label) and process risk (a risk within the supply chain, such as the contamination of food products with salmonella or E. coli). Further comparison is drawn based on food product type (here the paper distinguishes between processed and unprocessed food). The paper demonstrates that organic products are becoming less safe and that organic products are recalled at a higher rate. In comparison to conventional produce, organic produce is more prone to process risk and far less to design risk. Similar conclusions are reached even when the organic produce is analysed from a product type perspective.

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Ratna Banerjee ◽  
Meenakshi Sharma

Rising population, economic growth and awareness regarding environmental sustainability is making the consumers as well as companies to look for alternative products. In this regard, organic food product is one of the source to reduce environmental degradation as well as lead to increased employment opportunities. This paper examines the challenges and opportunities of marketing organic food products in Dehradun city and nearby areas. Additionally it identifies the demand-supply gap and the economic viability of using organic products. Descriptive study is done on the information obtained from retailers/suppliers to study the disparities in the prices of organic food products and the reasons behind them. The study considered organic farming to be a feasible production system towards sustainable development and recommends development of an organic farming policy in Uttarakhand through wide consultation with all stakeholders. Further scope may include recyclable (environment friendly) packaging, other sustainable products such as e-vehicle for logistics and all.


Management ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violetta Skrodzka

Summary In the most developed countries of Western Europe and North America, the share of organic farming in the food market is between 2% and 6%. The share of organic products on the Polish food market is only 0.33% (Dryjańska E. 2017). The aim of this article is to compare organic agricultural products in the US and EU. The scope of the comparison was covered by the legal regulations for organic production in the mentioned regions and the availability of organic products for customers. In order to highlight differences between the organic product and their traditional counterpart, selected meta-analyzes were conducted by authors in the field of medical and natural sciences. The possibilities of buying organic products are described on the basis of personal experiences of the author as a consumer. The offer of organic products was analyzed on the example of one European country (Poland) and the example of several states of America (Colorado, Virginia, New York). The rules for producing organic food in the US are more rigorous than in the EU. The offer of organic and conventional food targeted to the American consumer is comparable. Although Polish consumers have a positive perception of organic food, its supply is significantly different from the US market. The main differences are in distribution channels, product range, price and visual design of organic products.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-45
Author(s):  
P Shandini ◽  
N Ramani

The organic farming sector in developing countries is still diminutive. However, the traditional practice of organic farming by the indigenous farmers is an advantage that would help India to become a global market leader in this sector. India has the potential to emerge as a major exporter of organic produce. Organic products mature without the use of fertilizers, artificial chemicals, and pesticides. The Indian organic food market, although in its nascent stage, has started growing rapidly. Generally, consumers prefer organic food due to safety, human health, and ecological concern. Sometimes it could also be due to attributes like nutrition value, taste, originality and look of organic food. Worldwide trade in organic products is growing incredibly which has prompted experts to project consumption of organic food to be more than 25% of total food consumption by 2020. Universal consumption growth rates over the next 3-5 years will be fairly high (25 – 30%) when compared to most other categories of food. In the last decade, organic food products have been measured to do a healthier business than conventional food products. Thus the expansion of organic agriculture is seen as a part of promising promotion trends. This research reveals the percentage consumption of organic food products and provides suggestions to implement the various marketing strategies adopted by the retailers to sell the products and other factors impacting the preference of the consumers in the various strata of the society.


Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 757-767
Author(s):  
J. ELANCHEZHIAN ◽  
Dr. K. KALAICHELVI

Consumers’ interest in organic products is increasing globally. As IFOAM 2016 report, only 1.2 % of the land has been utilized in organic agriculture method. The overall organic market has achieved 89.7 billion $ in 2016 in that, & 48.4 a billion in sales accounted for the USA and German alone. Total registered organic producer in the worldwide is 2.7 million in that India is the leading country which has 835,200 organic producers. But many of them are a small farmer, and they had shared 1.49 million hectares only. The Government of India (GOI) and the state governments have taken several steps to improve the regulatory mechanism and frame several schemes to incentivize organic farming. 2017 December, Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) have recognized both the certification systems (NPOP and PGS-India) valid for organic food products. From these steps, GOI has tried to create confidence in the organic products, so that, domestic consumers and export countries can trust Indian organic products. But still, the organic sector in India suffered from some unique characteristic that is the absence of proper branding, package, consumer awareness, purchasing power, and supply chain issues (Agarwal, 2018).


Author(s):  
Kirsty-Lee Sharp ◽  
Costa Synodinos

Objective - The primary objective of this study is to identify and explain the antecedents of organic food purchase behaviour of Generation Y students in the South African context. This study aimed to shed some light on Generation Ystudents' health consciousness, perceived behaviour control, convenience, attitudes, purchase intentions, and actual buying behaviourtoward organic food products. The study also attempted to determine the underlying strengths and relationships between the constructs used in the measurement scale. Lastly, gender relationships were investigated to determine if any differences existed between males and females in terms of their organic food product purchases. Methodology/Technique - This research study employed a descriptive, non-probability, convenience sampling design. The intended target population was full-time registered undergraduate Generation Y students aged between 18 and 24 years. The sample size was 200 students based across the four faculties within the chosen higher education institution, namely the Faculty of Management Sciences, the Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of Human Sciences. The 200 self-administered questionnaires were distributed during recess times as to not to disrupt any learning time. The questionnaire contained a cover letter explaining the purpose of the study and that participation in the study was completely voluntary. Findings - The measurement scale displayed adequate reliability and validity for all constructs. Furthermore, all constructs had statistically significant positive means, indicating that Generation Y students are health-conscious, care for the opinions of friends and family, display pro-organic attitudes, intentions, and behaviour. Results from this study indicate that there is a need for food organizations to consider implementing organic-based products in their product offerings within the South African market. Novelty - Investigation oforganic food product purchase behaviouramong South African Generation Y students (Consumer behaviour). Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Organic Foods; Purchase Behaviour; Generation Y, South Africa. JEL Classification: M31, M39.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-296
Author(s):  
Anwesha Chattopadhyay ◽  
Priyanka Khanzode

Last 5 years have seen lots of changes in the consumption pattern of individuals with concerns rising constantly on the quality of climate conditions, individuals have become aware about change in climate, increasing pollution, deteriorating air quality, excessive use of chemicals in the farms, increase of carbon particles in environment and impact on population. Consumers now-a-days are very particular about the products they are consuming, Thus the concept of organic food product come into picture. This concept is gaining impetus in society especially after increase in health problems in individuals. It refers to using such food product which are eco-friendly and safe. The paper is a humble attempt to understand the level of awareness about organic food products in Bengaluru. This paper also aims at understanding the consumption pattern of individuals in Bengaluru. Statistical tools like ANOVA, Regression analysis, Chi-square tests and different charts are used to analyse the data obtained from a primary survey conducted in Bengaluru. On the basis of analysis done in the paper, it is concluded that the consumption has increased lately although more awareness should be created to make the consumption more popular among consumers.


Author(s):  
Martina Zámková ◽  
Martin Prokop ◽  
Radek Stolín

Our paper explores the factors influencing the consumers who buy organic food. Analysis of these factors enabled us to sort the consumers into groups based on their gender, age, education, and other identifiers. Further research then revealed more detailed shopping preferences of each one of those groups. The findings generated recommendations for producers and organic produce vendors on the best way to provide target marketing for different groups of consumers and therefore increase their sales of organic produce and food made from organic produce. Considering the use of categorical data, contingency tables and correspondence maps served as the best representation and processing tools. Data analysis showed that organic produce is most frequently purchased by respondents in the age of 45+ years, who also tend to spend more money for this range of products. At the same time, these would be the respondents, who struggle the most when recognizing organic produce and who have often never seen any advertisement for it. The respondents aged 25 years and less tend to purchase organic produce least frequently; they also often do not care about the origin of organic produce. Almost the same applies to families with multiple children. However, young respondents often grow their own organic produce. There is still a not insignificant percentage of consumers, who consider organic produce to be expensive and who do not believe in their qualities. As it turns out, when it comes to organic produce the respondents purchase most frequently fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Perkovic ◽  
Jacob Lund Orquin

Ecological rationality results from matching decision strategies to appropriate environmental structures, but how does the matching happen? We propose that people learn the statistical structure of the environment through observation and use this learned structure to guide ecologically rational behavior. We tested this hypothesis in the context of organic foods. In Study 1, we found that products from healthful food categories are more likely to be organic than products from nonhealthful food categories. In Study 2, we found that consumers’ perceptions of the healthfulness and prevalence of organic products in many food categories are accurate. Finally, in Study 3, we found that people perceive organic products as more healthful than nonorganic products when the statistical structure justifies this inference. Our findings suggest that people believe organic foods are more healthful than nonorganic foods and use an organic-food cue to guide their behavior because organic foods are, on average, 30% more healthful.


1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Powell

There is growing interest in local organic food nowadays, prompted by concerns about health, care of the environment and excessive transportation and packaging of produce. But conventional marketing systems are not really able to cater for such demands, because they operate on too large a scale. In recent years a solution to the problem has appeared: direct links between growers and consumers, within the same local area. Some of these are growing rapidly, opening up exciting possibilities for the development of sustainable food production and marketing, and for building new links between cities and the countryside.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthimia Tsakiridou ◽  
Christina Boutsouki ◽  
Yorgos Zotos ◽  
Kostantinos Mattas

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to identify consumers' attitudes and behaviour towards organic products in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThis paper draws on a non‐probability quota sample of 660 respondents to explore the attitudes and behaviour of Greek consumers towards organic food products.FindingsGreek 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/implicationsIt 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 implicationsAlthough 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/valueThis paper attempts to provide evidence on the relatively under researched area of organics attitudes and behaviour in Greece.


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