Consumers’ Awareness, Demands and Preferences for Organic Vegetables: A Survey Study in Shiraz, Iran

Summary

Some Iranian vegetable producers use a lot of chemicals, but not in a safe way or at the optimum level. There are several reports about chemical residues in vegetables that have serious side effects on human health and the environment in that country. On other hand, many Iranian farmers traditionally use organic production practices, but organic cultivation in Iran is not in accordance with international regulations. Since vegetables are the most important category of organic products, and since the future of organic agriculture will largely depend on consumer demand, a survey of 470 respondents was performed in Shiraz regarding their level of awareness about organic vegetables, their tendency to consume of organic vegetables, the effect of proper appearance of vegetables on the tendency to purchase organic vegetables and the importance of the organic label and certification of organic vegetables. Results showed that about half of the respondents have knowledge of organic vegetables and that their tendency to consume organic vegetable is very high. The results also showed that proper appearance does not effect the tendency to purchase organic vegetables, and that almost all consumers prefer to purchase organic vegetables labelled as certfied. It is suggested that organic vegetable production be introduced and supported by the Iranian government.