The conceptualization of novel organic food products: a case study of Polish young consumers

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore young consumers’ attitudes toward novel organic food products by analyzing their acceptability and perception. Design/methodology/approach A mixed method approach was applied to conceptualize (sensory profiling of organic bakery and confectionery products) and then to evaluate young consumer’s willingness to buy (consumer survey) innovative products: ten variants of rolls and ten variants of shortbread cookies made of certified raw materials originating from bio-farming, enriched with a combination of fresh and dried fruits and vegetables. Product recipes were free of saccharose, sweeteners and chemical pulverizing agents. To evaluate consumer orientation toward novel organic products, 200 consumers from Poland (Warmia and Mazury region) were surveyed regarding their hedonic opinion about these concepts. A Likert-type scale was used in the consumer survey to assess the perception and declared willingness to buy the evaluated products. Findings Research results demonstrate that the young consumers had ambivalent or negative attitudes to sensory attributes of many variants of the organic bakery and confectionery products. This could be explained by the taste of most of the products, which appeared unacceptable to consumers. It has been concluded that the choice of organic foods by young consumers is not strictly related to the concern over their health nor to the awareness of health-related attributes of these food products. Taste turned out to be the key factor affecting consumer attitudes toward organic foods and driving their willingness to buy these products. Originality/value Despite the constant development of research in the area of the organic food market, the current scientific findings still have some cognitive gaps that concern attitudes and expectations of consumers, especially of young consumers, toward new ecological products. This study contributed to the young consumers’ behavior knowledge by analyzing their attitudes toward novel organic bakery and confectionery prototypes produced manually. The empirical findings from this study also have practical potential for organic food market applications. Information of this type is useful in understanding and predicting the demand for certain products, which helps managers develop effective strategies.

Food for thought

“…Moreover, results from Northern India show that the main reason for purchasing organic food is its perceived healthiness, while a lack of availability was identified as the main barrier, followed by high price, taste, and popularity (Paul and Rana, 2012). In contrast, a study conducted in Poland showed that the purchasing decision of young consumers is not strictly linked to concerns regarding health, nor is it linked to an awareness of the health-related attributes of these products (Radzyminska and Jakubowska, 2019). Vehapi and Dolicanin (2016) state that, even among interested individuals in Serbia, only a small percentage actually go shopping regularly, suggesting that there is a gap between consumer preferences and actual purchasing decisions regarding organic products.…”

Antecedents of Consumers’ Intention and Behavior to Purchase Organic Food in the Portuguese Context

“…On the other hand, in addition to the concept of "organic food", the concept of "organic agriculture" was identified, which reveals that organic food is associated with its mode of production and organic agriculture. While some definitions highlight dimensions such as "organic" or "natural" [17] and "environmentally sustainable" [18] or "future generations" [2], others emphasize the limited use of artificial chemicals in organic production [15,19]. Based on this, we can define organic food as: quality food products obtained according to the standards of organic agriculture, free of artificial chemicals, which promote the health of soils, ecosystems, and human beings, respecting future generations.…”

Sensory characteristic of new formulated Bir Pletok ice cream

“…In Polish, young consumers had higher impact especially to innovation in food. They also more open to new product, that's why understanding young consumers had very good impact in companies operating on or in planning to enter the Polish food market (7). In India a research to know the acceptance level of young consumers on GMF (Genetically Modified Food) was conducted to analyse the potential of GMF market in India.…”