VIZCARRA BORDI, IVONVE y THOME-ORTIZ, HUMBERTO (2017). The consumer of food products in organic markets of central Mexico.British Food Journal, 119 (3) 558-574. The consumer of food products in organic markets of central Mexico Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of consumers of organic food, based on their motivations. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire based on the Food Choice Questionnaire was applied to a 656 consumers. A multivariate factor analysis and cluster analysis was performed to the data. Findings -Seven factors were identified: ecological concern; nutritional content; availability of natural products; sensory aspects; certifications, health and confidence; and economic aspects. Resulting clusters were named as: conscious and interested in certification; conscious with no interest in certification; opportunist in transition; unconscious opportunist. There are signs of different consumers. The consumers of these products are characterised by an interaction between hedonic and ethical motivations, where the most important motivation is environmental concern and the least important are the economic aspects.Research limitations/implications -The reduced number of alternative markets in Mexico limits the amplitude of the research. Practical implications -The work herein reported is pioneer and contributes to reduce the lack of studies on the motivations and characteristics of consumers of organic foods in Mexico. Findings may set a path for new research in other cultural contexts; as well as for more specific work in Mexico as of consumers of industrialised organic products. Social implications -Characterising consumers of organic foods will enable the development of these markets. Originality/value -Social studies of eating habits have taken place in European countries; and several works have been developed in other areas of the world to determine the way in which consumers build their preferences and food choice patterns. In Mexico, specifically in organic foods, studies have focussed in agrarian economics, but the analysis of motivations for choice has not been addressed. Therefore, it is important to research this issue given the relevance for consumers.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the motivations to consume ecological foods in alternative food networks (AFNs). Design/methodology/approach In total, 150 questionnaires were applied; the questionnaire was adapted from Food Choice Questionnaire (Steptoe et al., 1995). Data were analyzed by means of multivariate statistics with factor and cluster analysis. In order to identify statistical differences (p<0.05), Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney nonparametric tests were performed. Findings Ten factors or motivations were found: social ecological concern, nutritional content, sensory aspects, certifications, naturalness, specialized consumption, trust in the seller, economic aspects, health and availability. Four groups were obtained and called: citizen consumers, in-process citizen consumers, conscious social consumers with no interest in certifications and conscious pragmatic consumers. It is concluded that differentiated consumers visit these establishments and their motivations are diverse, albeit they concur, to a varying extent, with the objectives of AFNs, finding a mixture of hedonic and ethical motivations. Practical implications This sort of works about specific places of consumption as well as specific consumers, in this case ecological, contributes to the development of future social research on other contexts, different consumers and products. Originality/value This sort of research has been carried out in various European cities, with a number of foods and over various sales channels; however, at present there is a debate around AFNs and the veracity of their goals. This way, the present work can contribute with an answer to whether the goals match the motivations of consumers.

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Developing countries such as Mexico have diverse food retail channels classified into three main groups: Supermarkets in their diverse variants (hypermarkets, medium and small supermarkets, and gourmet supermarkets); traditional food supply channels classified in Traditional markets, Tianguis, and grocery stores and Alternative markets. Despite the wide array of options, there is a lack of information on consumers’ perceptions of these different spaces. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyse consumers’ perceptions of Traditional markets, Tianguis, Supermarkets and Alternative markets in central Mexico. A questionnaire was applied with three sections: free word association (FWA), purchase habits and socioeconomic aspects. Four hundred and eighty consumers were surveyed, 120 in each type of market. The words mentioned during the FWA were grouped according to category and dimension and were analysed with a chi‐squared test. The relationship between categories and markets was analysed by multiple correspondence analysis and the remaining variables by descriptive statistics. Supermarkets were related to processed foods and nonfood items and were considered accessible, practical and modern spaces. Traditional markets and Tianguis were perceived as traditional and associated with social commitment and fresh foods but were also perceived as lacking in infrastructure, insecure and impractical. Alternative markets were viewed as innovative spaces offering alternative foods, albeit expensive. The interviewed consumers were mostly women. Those approached in Supermarkets and Alternative markets tended to be millennials, and in Tianguis and Traditional markets tended to belong to Generation X (born between 1965 and 1982). Also, most of those in Alternative markets had university or postgraduate degrees. In conclusion, consumers had a clear perception of the different types of markets as well as their advantages and disadvantages. This study contributes to empirical knowledge on the persistence of traditional markets and the incorporation of alternative markets in developing countries in spite of the growth of Supermarkets.

Alternative spaces for the consumption of non-conventional foods as short commercialization chains have been increased worldwide, as well as the interest in understanding the dynamics developed in those initiatives from a social approach, has increased. This work aimed to analyze the Organizers, Producers and Consumers’ perceptions that participate in short food supply chains in ecological markets in the south of Spain. The Conventions Theory framework was used by applying a quantitative and qualitative methodology. A total of 159 questionnaires were applied (three to Organizers, 15 to Producers and 177 to Consumers). The questionnaire considered items related to social conventions for seven worlds (Domestic, Civic, Market, Industrial, Opinion and Inspired) and sociodemographic information. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the information. Results show that coincidences and divergences are observed in the importance given to the worlds; the Civic, Inspired and Opinion worlds are perceived similarly by the three types of actors and are related to the interest in how these activities benefit the environment. Differences are attributed to the role played by each type of actor and to socioeconomic aspects. Results can materialize into different strategies to improve these initiatives and reach more consumers.