Consumer perceptions and attitudes of organic food products in Eastern China

Abstract

Purpose – In response to food scares related to high levels of agro-chemical residues sometimes found on foods, consumers in China increasingly demand for organic foods. As little is known on consumer perceptions and attitudes toward organic food products, the purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the purchase of organic food products by consumers and to explore the main factors driving this process. Design/methodology/approach – Mixed (quantitative and qualitative) market survey approaches were used to provide a potentially deeper insight into consumer’s perspective and could help get a better picture of the complex factors involved. Findings – The main trigger for purchasing organic food products is that consumers expect them to be healthier and safer. The respondents who have bought organic food products tend to have a higher education level and disposable incomes, be families with children and be older than those who have not bought them. The main barriers to increasing the market share of organic food products are the consumers’ lack of knowledge, the relatively high price premium and the lack of availability of organic food products. Informing consumers about unique characteristics of organic production methods, the decline in the prices of and increasing the availability of organic food products to its customers might be a promising strategy to develop the market for organic food products. Originality/value – This paper provides a unique insight into buying behavior and attitudes of organic consumers in China. The results of the research could provide information for the organic food industry to expand its market and improve its profitability and reliability.

Consumer’s Attitude and Willingness to Pay for Organic Rice

“…For example, the price of premium organic products in China was extremely high so that there were many consumers who were unable to afford it without ruling out other family essential needs (ThØgersen et al 2014). Young et al (2010), Wang (2007), Chen (2009), Sriwaranun et al (2015 and Xie et al(2015) agreed with Idaman et al(2012) by stating that price became the most important attribute so that it became the main obstacle for consumers in buying organic products.…”

“…It can be seen in Figure 1 that consumers choosing nonorganic rice (AB) have a budget line that is lower than the consumers choosing organic rice (CD). It is proven by several researches that consumers of organic products have a higher income than consumers of general products (Mutlu, 2007;Noviandi, 2012;Xie et al 2015). The majority of organic products' consumers are people in the middle or upper-middle class economy (Mutlu 2007;Noviandi 2012).…”

Innovations in the agro-food system

“…Most of these findings are in accordance with the literature. China's one-child policy, launched in 1978, suggests that parents are committed to giving their children the best (Xie et al, 2015). A study by Zhu et al, (2013) found that income and education influence green-food purchase intentions and behaviours.…”

“…Qualitative research was adopted for the following reasons. Firstly, it is argued that quantitative studies are not geared to understanding the complexity of organic food purchasing habits and that mixed methods provide a potentially deeper insight into consumer behaviour (Xie et al, 2015). Secondly, there is a lack of empirical investigations on this topic (Li et al, 2002;Huang et al, 2006).…”

“…Chinese organic food consumers have similar values to Western consumers and early adoption of organic food in China is positively related to what Schwartz termed 'universalism values' (Thøgersen et al, 2015). The barriers to the purchase of certified food are high, notably high prices and lack of availability (Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, 2013;Xie et al, 2015). Given that the Chinese government has embraced both green food labels and GMOs, the complexities of consumer behaviour need to be examined.…”