Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Information from 1,769 mail surveys was used to assess California con-
sumers' perceptions of conventional and organic food to understand who
buys organic food (Jolly et al. 1989). Regardless of their age, income, and
gender, 23 percent indicated that they look for organic food when they
shop and 30 percent said they plan to buy organic food within the next
month or so. And 57 percent of consumers ranked organic food as better
than conventional food on the basis of food safety, freshness, general health
benefits, nutritional value, effect on the environment, flavor, and general
appearance of the product. These consumers were willing to pay 30 cents
more per pound to buy organic carrots, broccoli, apples, and peaches.
RE
TAIL SALES AND SUPPLY
[74],
(5)
Motivation for buying organic food is linked to information and labeling.
A study was conducted on the topic of promoting sustainably produced
apples in Minnesota (Robinson et al. 2002). In this case, the food was not
organic but had a seal of approval from the Midwest Food Alliance. Cus-
tomers were surveyed initially and again after an eight-week educational
and public relations campaign. Clearly the campaign had an effect on the
consumers' knowledge, thus we can assume that other educational and in-
store marketing interventions would help inform consumers about organic
foodsaswell.
Focusing on retailers, a survey of California supermarket chains investi-
gated the perceptions of produce and marketing managers toward organic
produce (Jolly and Norris 1991). This study was framed within the context
of the food scares of the late 1980s (Alar on apples and cyanide on Chilean
grapes). These events sent consumers scrambling to buy organic produce,
but as demand increased suddenly and rapidly, supply fell behind and prices
soared. This actually led to a negative situation for organic food, as many
stores stopped stocking organic foods because the high costs made them
impractical. This study shows that by 1991, many store managers were in-
terested in organic produce; it rated better on environmental impact and
residues but worse on appearance and shelf life. Overall these stores wanted
to carry more organic products if supplies were available.
Other researchers sought to inform retailers about “consumer percep-
tions of pesticide residue concerns” (Byrne et al. 1994, 492). But the authors
neither provided a definition of certified organic food nor investigated con-
sumer motivations for it. They tried to predict whether people would likely
shop at a supermarket carrying this mysterious “pesticide residue free” pro-
duce (again, not using the words
certified organic
). Their complex statistical
Lines: 98 to 110
———
0.0pt PgVar
———
Normal Page
PgEnds: T
E
X
[74],
(5)
