The perception of organic values and ways of communicating them in mid-scale values based food chains

Summary

The rise of the organic sector in the past has led several businesses, cooperations and enterprises to prosperous growth. Organic products are gaining more and more popularity and proof successfully their ability to hold ground against conventional products on supermarket shelves. The crucial question remains how to maintain the original quality principles and values associated with the organic sector in times of over proportional growth. The growing distance between consumers and producers reduces obviously the possibilities for direct feedback loops which in turn has consequences for farmers’ identification with their products at the point of sale.
These issues encouraged partners from 10 different countries, to examine within the frame of the Core Organic ERA-net Project ‘HealthyGrowth’ factors supporting and hindering integrity and trust within growing organic businesses. The project focusses on mid-scale values-based food chains as a potentially promising alternative between direct marketing and anonymous conventional marketing channels.
This paper combines a review of scientific literature on values associated with organic products by consumers and producers with the ‘Detailed Case Study Descriptions’ provided by project partners to assist case study selection. This shall allow answering the following questions:
What are qualities and values that stakeholders along the value chain want to communicate and how can they successfully be communicated down- as well as upstream? How can effective communication substitute face to face relations in terms of relationship and trust?