Consumers’ perception and behaviour towards organic food
1. Introduction
Perception is the foundation on which a consumer base their actions and reactions (Shiffman and Kanuk, 2010:172), the consumers’ perceptions are more important than their knowledge when motives and stimuli’s are aroused by marketers. Consumer behaviour can be defined as the way an individual search, purchase, use, evaluate and dispose services and products to satisfy a need (Shiffman & Kanuk, 2010:23). Perception is the way an individual selects, organises, and interprets stimuli in order to form a meaningful perception of their surroundings (Shiffman & Kanuk, 2010:175). Motivation starts when a dormant need is aroused, this arousal can be positive or negative depending on the consumer’s perception of the product or service. Dormant needs are needs that consumers are not aware of; the individual only becomes aware of the need once it is aroused (Cant et al., 2006:132). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs explains the different levels of needs that need to be satisfied to eventually reach self-actualisation (Cant et al., 2006:133).
Organic food is a farming product which does not make use of pesticides or synthetic fertilisers in order to create a more sustainable product (Shafie & Rennie, 2009:360). Beliefs about healthiness, tastiness, animal welfare, and saving the environment are motivational actions that influence purchasing behaviour of organic food. The greatest fragment of consumers are aware of organic food and the benefits it holds, advertisements and news articles encourage consumers to consume organic food to ensure a longer and healthier life (Hjelmar, 2011:338). Even with sufficient knowledge about organic food, most consumers will not purchase it...
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...chase modified food if the store does not sell organic food, they only have a physiological need of hunger to satisfy.
It is clear that most consumers has knowledge about organic food products and can make informed decisions when purchasing food products. Positive perceptions towards organic food can be seen within the consumers, but price and unavailability is the main reason why consumers restrain from purchasing it. Ethical reasons, quality of food, health, safety, and family aspects are the main reasons why consumers purchase organic food rather than modified food products. With the help of organic farmers to produce more organic products and distribute it equally, and mass media to advertise and inform consumers about the benefits of organic food, an organic consumer base can be formed in order to support the conservation of the Earth for future generations.
Steven Shapin is an expert when it comes to telling people the reality of the situation. In his, article “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?” Shapin exposes and explains the truth behind the word organic. He explains that our view on organic is not a reality. The small farms that we picture in our heads are really just big business in disguise and these big businesses are trying to do good by supposedly not using harmful pesticides. Which are supposed to not damage the environment but in reality they are probably not making any sort of difference. Some people care about the environment, while others are buying taste when it comes to organic food but using different pesticides are going to help the taste, only freshness tastes the best.
Organic products and non-organic products have been a subject of interest for me for a great amount of time because I have often questioned whether there really was a difference between the two types of products. I always wondered what the nutritional, economic, laborious, and pollution differences were, if any, in the creation of the two types of products. Through research, I have found several sources of information which allow me to determine more than a physical difference between the two.
With the world’s population continuing to increase, the demand for food is higher than ever. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing the food. Two methods that are very controversial are the organic and conventional method. While many people support the organic method because of its known benefits, others feel that it is an over inflated industry that cheats consumers out of their money. But recently many studies have disproved those critics. These studies prove that Organic food is a better choice than conventional because it is better for the environment, avoids the use of chemicals, and is generally more beneficial.
This section explains the conditions in the organic food industry that will Whole Foods with opportunities. The aging Baby Boomer generation has resulted in an increased population of people that are more informed, health-conscious and willing to spend more on healthy natural foods. These people with higher disposable income will be the main drivers for the demand of organic foods. America in general is also growing in affluence, providing Whole Foods with a larger target market. Together with the fact that Americans spend a considerable amount of their expenditure on food, organic foods have become affordable to most Americans. Urban singles with higher spending power are also set to drive and sustain demand for organic foods.
Audience Relevance: Everyone should know why we need to choose organic food over conventional food. Buying organic food has improved my life and it can improve yours as well instead of risking your life eating food that have been exposed to numerous chemicals.
Yiridoe, E., Bonti-Ankomah, S., & Martin, R. (2005). Comparison of consumer perceptions and preference toward organic versus conventionally produced foods: A review and update of the literature. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 20(4), 193-205. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org.er.lib.k-state.edu/action/displayFulltext?type=6&fid=692720&jid=RAF&volumeId=20&issueId=04&aid=692716&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S1742170505000220
Consumer Perception: Even though consumers’ have become conscious about the kind of food they buy; there is not a clear understanding and implication of “organic”. They are also not able to tell the difference between “natural” and “organic” on product labels. The gap is even wider for consumers that have never purchased any kind of organic food till date.
Every company wants to understand why people decide to buy its products or others. Firstly, we have to understand why people buy certain kind of product. People buy products because they need them. A need is activated and felt when there is a sufficient discrepancy between a desired or preferred state of being and the actual state. (Engle£¬Blackwell and Miniard. 1995. p407 ) For example, when you feel hungry, what you needs is some food. It is very important for marketer to understand the needs of consumers. All the consumers may have the same needs, but the ways which they satisfy what they need are different. Here is a example, Chinese people would choose rice when they feel hungry, whilst British people may choose bread to satisfy their needs.
The term “organic” is almost everywhere in modern society, whether it’s used to promote a product or it’s debated on whether it really benefits the human diet. Organic food is heavily debated on as it appears more and more in local grocery stores and farmers markets begin to populate, it raises questions such as “Is organic food better than food grown with pesticides and biologically engineered genes?” and “Are there benefits to eating organically over foods grown in any other way?” In terms of what data and results show in research may help lead to answers to most of the heavily debated issues throughout discussions on organic food.
Organic food is food that is grown without any pesticide or fertilizers. In recent years, sales for organic foods are increasing every year. A lot of people go to supermarkets in order to buy some organic foods, because they think that organic foods are healthier than conventional foods. People purchase organic foods for different reasons such as personal health, the quality of organic foods, and taste, but the most important reason is personal health. The topic that whether organic foods have more benefits or not is very controversial for a long time. Maybe some people believe that organic foods are beneficial to human health, but some other people disagree with the viewpoint, so buying organic foods depend on people’s choices. People believe organic foods are healthier because they generally think organic foods have less pesticide and fertilizer residue, more nutritional values, and are beneficial to environment.
Conclusion: Now a day’s organic food is getting popular and people are getting aware about the health promoting benefits of having organic food and it is easily available in the grocery store labeled as organic. The main reason most of the people don’t opt for organic food is it is higher in price, we have a false sense that conventional food comes at lower price, the price does not include the government spending on cleaning of pollution caused by producing such conventional produces, and government subsidies on agriculture, these are all tax payers money and ultimately goes from our pocket, thus why thing on short term benefits of conventional food, when organic food has long term benefit on our health , environment and future.
During the three weeks, the needs and motivation were a factor that influences my buying behavior. In the concept of consumer behavior, the Maslow’s hierarchy of need is a theory in the psychology and it is always been used to determine the level of needs of people. There are two types of need that are needed such as the innate needs and acquired needs. The innate needs are the basic needs in the daily life, such as the foods, drinks, air and shelter. The foods are the basic needs of us as we need to eat every day for surviving. I also need safety and security need so I park my car in the car park to protect my car for not been stolen or scratches by the others. Besides, the rational and emotional motives also affect the decision making of purchasing goods and service. The rational motive influences the consumer buying based on the size and price such as during buying the households. I prefer to buy the goods based on the price such as the households. The emotional motives are buying follow to the mood. For example, the place that I buy the foods are different every day. (Raaij & Wandwossen,
Thirty years later, organic farming was in high demand, but suffered developing pains. Although there was agreements being made, there was no regulations put forth towards organic farming. Fast forwarding to present time, many consumers are starting to purchase organic food products even making it a trend. Written in Inouye, Alena, and McCauley’s 2006 article “Organic Farming Should Be Pursued”, “organic farming is gaining in popularity due to Americans ' increasing concern about food safety and environmental protection.” This quote assumes the reasoning behind the sudden popularity in organic farming is society’s attraction towards the idea of a cleaner food industry and environment. The article also mentions, “As a result, sales of organic foods in the United States have increased by more than 20 percent every year since 1996, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000.”(Inouye, Alena, McCauley) The fact that popularity towards organic farming grows at a rate of 20 percent every single year further proves how its movement has such an impact towards the consumers of
Without scientists, the examination of the toxic nature of these substances might have never intersected the minds of buyers worldwide. Through many studies, people have discovered the truths about organic food and its health benefits. Scientists have not confirmed the study that ultimately proves that organic food creates a perfectly healthy lifestyle, but most people have come to conclude through tests and studies that organic food has a better result on one's health. One complaint the public has about organic food consumption has to do with the price. On the positive side of spending money on organic food, the more something costs, the higher value and the fresher the food has to be.
“Organic” and “natural foods” are a part of a trend that is growing quickly, but how much do we consumers really know about the difference between natural food and non-organic foods? Food that is considered organic can be defined as being produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents. Processed foods are defined as foods that are packaged in bags, boxes or cans. Authors like Pollan and Foer, in their essays “Escape from the Western Diet” and “Against Meat” respectively, argue that organic food and a vegetarian diet are better for humans and the environment. Contrastingly, others like Shapin, author of “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic” believe that we are too fixated on whether or not to buy