Organic food attributes determing consumer choices

Abstract

The aim of the research was to identify the factors influencing consumption of organic food. In our research an attempt was made to find a method for identifying organic food and assessing the features ascribed to it by consumers. These features were then analyzed in terms of their technical and market attributes. The paper presents results of research conducted in 2005, 2010 and 2013 on the organic food market with special emphasis placed on pricing, distribution systems and consumers in the north-eastern Poland. Respondents’ answers indicate their increasing interest, knowledge and commitment to the environment. They also indicate that the most important technological attribute of organic food is its way of production, which ensures that the food is healthy, contains no chemical additives and has good, natural taste. Market attributes include the food’s high nutritious value and naturalness, the producer’s logo and price. Consumers buying organic food believe that the production and processing of food does not destroy the natural environment. Emphasizing the health and taste attributes of organic food is not enough, however, and it has to coincide with the consumer’s behavior and pro-environmental bias, which become explicit in his choice of food.