Consumer views on the new mandatory EU logo for organic food

Summary

In July 2010, the new mandatory EU logo for organic food was introduced to make the identification of organic products easier for consumers. In the present study we analysed how consumers in five EU countries view a mandatory EU logo for organic food to make recommendations for agrarian decision-makers and market actors in the organic sector. The study was based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods with consumers of organic food in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Firstly, 15 focus group discussions were conducted to reveal the spectrum of consumer perceptions. In a subsequent survey with 2042 participants consumer views on key issues were quantified. Finally, the results of the qualitative and quantitative studies were brought together. Our findings suggest that a mandatory EU logo for organic food was basically welcomed in all countries, however, trust in the underlying production standards and the inspection system was not very pronounced (except in Italy). We conclude that the introduction of the new EU logo should be supported by communication campaigns to make clear what the new logo stands for and remove unfounded consumer concerns regarding the downscaling of standards and the trustworthiness of the inspection system.