Is organic food a quality attribute or a product category?

Summary

The present study investigates the relationships between consumer categorization of organic versus non-organic food products, consumers' underlying perceptions of organic food, and their propensity to consume organic foods. A choice experiment is used to test these relations in a case study involving consumer preferences for attributes relating to milk. First and foremost, we find a strong link between how consumers categorize food and their organic profile. Second, we find that knowledge concerning a claim stating that milk from grazing cows is healthier, serves as a way to categorize consumers according to their organic profile. Third, our study supports earlier findings which indicate that socio-demographic factors, such as living in a big city and being well educated, are important drivers of organic demand, together with beliefs in organic foods possessing positive attributes.