Determining consumer expectations and attitudes towards organic/lo-input food quality and safety. QLIF subproject 1: Consumer expectations and attitudes

Summary

The objective of QLIF subproject 1 was to deliver in-depth analyses of consumer expectations, attitudes and buying behaviours, with respect to quality and safety of foods from organic and low-input production systems. Results of the research showed that consumer attitudes towards quality and safety are not consistent - they are changeable, and linked to a whole bundle of assorted issues such as personal health, the natural environment, and ethics. Organic consumers appear to fall into two main types: regular and occasional purchasers. Regular consumers are committed insofar as the products satisfy their quality and safety requirements, but they are suspicious of over-processed organic foods sold in supermarkets. Occasional consumers of organic and low-input foods are more price and convenience sensitive. A key finding is that consumer behaviour has co-evolved with market development. Availability has constituted the main barrier to increasing demand, and limited assortment as well as the perceived relationship between quality and price account for much of the fluctuation in demand among occasional users.