Is an increase in organic consumption accompanied by a healthier diet? A comparison of changes in eating habits among Danish consumers

Summary

Several studies have shown that consumers with a high organic consumption often have dietary habits that a more in line with the official recommendations of eating more fruit, vegetables, and less red meat. This paper takes a novel approach by investigating whether changes in consumption patterns are also related: To what extent is an increase in organic consumption accompanied by improvements in dietary habits? We also investigate what motivates the consumers to change their habits and in what order the changes occur. Many consumers had relatively healthy dietary habits before the increase in purchases of organics. Mainly, households with originally high organic consumption seemed to improve their diet while increasing organic consumption. Reference to climate considerations and availability seemed more important reasons for changes in food habits than considerations concerning health and organics just as the stated order of changes may reflect societal trends rather than a conscious individual choice.