Determinants of Purchasing Behaviour for Organic and Integrated Fruits and Vegetables: The Case of the Post Socialist Economy - Organic Food and Agriculture: New Trends and Developments in the Social Sciences - page 19

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Determinants of Purchasing Behaviour for
Organic and Integrated Fruits and Vegetables:
The Case of the Post Socialist Economy
Aleš Kuhar 1 , Anamarija Slabe 2 and Luka Juvančič 1
1 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty
2 Institute for Sustainable Development
Slovenia
1. Introduction
Modern food consumer is highly concerned about the safety and quality of the food
products purchased. This concern goes simultaneously with their awareness of the relation
between the production practice and quality of food products, as well as environmental
concern in regards to food (Thøgersen & Ölander, 2002). Moreower, the awareness has
contributed towards growing demand for food from non-conventional production practices
as well as an increasing consumer interest in having a closer relationship with the food
producer (Thompson, 1998; Wier et al., 2003; Vermeir & Verbeke, 2006; Botonaki et al., 2006).
This change has been especially significant in the demand for organic foods, since the global
annual organic sales are estimated at around 38.6 billion US Dollars in 2006 which is double
figure in comparisons with the figure in 2000 (Willer et al., 2008). Consumption of organic
food is highly concentrated in North America and Europe since these two regions comprise
97% of the global demand (Sahota, 2008). Consumption in these two markets is growing at
close to 20% annually (Wier and Calverley, 2002; Halberg et al., 2006). Fruit and vegetables
is the largest segment in the European organic food market with almost one forth of total
organic food sales in 2006. Moreover, organic fruit and vegetables represented about 2
percent of all fruit and vegetable sales in Western Europe (Willer et al., 2008). This pattern is
related particularly with the increased awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and
positive perception of fruit and vegetable in this respect (Connor, 1994; Viaene et al., 2000;
William & Hammit, 2001, Lambert N. 2001; Belows, et al., 2008).
Response towards these trends on the supply side is also evident, since organic agriculture
is one of the most rapidly developing market segments in both developed and developing
countries (Halberg, 2006). Land area under organic agriculture has increased from 16.9
million hectares in 2000 to 30.4 in 2005 globally, whereas the growth in Europe was even
faster (Willer et. al. 2008). In 2005 the organic area made up 3.9% of the total utilised
agricultural area in the European Union, and the highest proportions were recorded in
Austria with 11.0%, Italy with 8.4%, and the Czech Republic and Greece both with 7.2%
(Eurostat, 2007). Simultaneously the global organic food chain has been transformed from a
local network of producers and consumers to a highly coordinated and formally regulated
supply system (Raynolds, 2004).