The aim was to study consumer attitudes to and perceptions of organic and genetically modified (GM) foods and factors influencing the purchase/non purchase of these two types of foods. Data were collected by two questionnaire surveys (random nation-wide samples of 2000 consumers, response rate 58% and 39% respectively) and one interview study (n=40). A majority of the consumers had positive attitudes towards purchasing organic foods but few reported purchasing organic foods regularly. The most common beliefs about organic foods were that they are more expensive and healthier. Choice of organic foods was related to the perceived consequences for human health and to environmentally friendly behaviour. Perceived positive health consequences appeared to be a stronger motive for purchasing organic foods than were environmental benefits. Attitudes towards genetic engineering (GE) appear to be dependent on the application area. Medical applications were generally more easily accepted than were food and agricultural applications. However, all medical applications were not equally accepted. Consumers had generally rather negative attitudes towards GM foods, which were perceived as not being healthy. GM of animals for food production was perceived more negative than GM of plants. Tangible benefits of GM foods, like being better for the environment or healthier, seemed to have a potential to increase willingness to buy. The results indicate that the attitudes to organic and GM foods differ: the attitude to organic foods is positive while the attitude to GM foods is more negative. Further, the perceptions of organic and GM foods are opposed in relation to health. The purchase of organic foods and the potential willingness to purchase GM foods appear to be related to positive consequences for health and the environment.

Diss. (sammanfattning)--Göteborg : University, 2002. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The master thesis is concerned with the effect of the clame superfood and its impact in consumer behaviour. The aim of this thesis is to find out how consumers perceive the phenomenon of superfoods and how this claim effect their consumer behaviour. The theoretical part of the thesis defines and explains the terminology related to the key term superfoods such as functional foods, superfruits and organic foods. Subsequently the thesis edentifies the rules of a food labeling with the emphasis on health and nutrition-related claims. The thesis then examines the recent development of the superfoods market with its trends either from the local and the global point of view. The theoretical part is ended by the analysis of the methodology The Six Elements of Superfruits Success, which defines the six elements leading to a successful business strategy in a field of superfoods industry. The empirical part of the thesis shows the survey results of the effect of the clame superfoods and organic foods on products and its impact in consumer behaviour in the Czech Republic. The thesis then deals with the case study Jeřáb (a product containing a superfood). The thesis draws up a draft proposal for a new communication strategy of Jeřáb with the emphasis on the fact that Jeřáb is a product containing a superfood.

The South African Organic farming industry has indicated a stable increase in the production of organic products from insignificant informal sectors to a fast-growing formal sector. Although there is no documented evidence of the origins of the sector, it can be considered that the formalisation of the organic industry started in 1994 with the formation of Organic Agriculture Association of South Africa (OAASA). The expanding organic food sector is a current organisational change in food demand in South Africa. Therefore, it is becoming vital for food marketers to know consumer needs and demands for food in South Africa, particularly organic food, as consumer preferences sturdily affects the direction of the marketers’ approach, in terms of what is in demand and consumed. Accordingly, this research investigated the factors that influence consumer attitude towards organic food and how consumer attitude influences consumers’ buying intentions. A non-experimental quantitative approach was employed to respond to the purpose and goals determined for the study. A survey was circulated to South African purchasers residing in the Gauteng Province, who were over the age of 18 years and liable for their own domestic food acquisitions. A total of 310 questionnaires were completed, but only 301 responses without errors were utilised for statistical analysis. Data collection was conducted by means of an in-store intercept approach and snowball sampling was applied to supplement the purposive sampling approach to achieve a statistically significant respondent sample. In order to examine and understand the socioeconomic characteristics of the sample and further determine the type of respondents who took part in the research, descriptive statistical analysis was used for this current research. Furthermore, to meet the goals of the research, inferential statistical analysis was used to attain the description view of every recognised variable’s performance of the participants. The findings of this research firstly showed that product quality, subjective norms, health and environmental concerns had a positive influence on consumer attitude towards organic food. The analysis further indicated that health concerns had the strongest influence on the respondents’ attitude for organic food, followed by product quality, then subjective norms. Surprisingly, environmental concerns showed no statistically significant influence on the consumers’ attitudes towards the purchase of organic foods. Secondly, the results showed that the respondents had a favourable and positive attitude for organic food. The participants believed that organic food was higher quality, healthier, safer, fresher and tastier than conventionally grown food. Thirdly, the results showed that even though the respondents considered price as a significant influence when purchasing food, and also considered organic foods to be expensive than conventional food products, they still intended to purchase more organic food. The results further showed that, though some respondents had access to organic food in the retail-stores where they regularly shop, other respondents still expressed difficulty in finding organic food products. However, this does not change their intent to purchase more organic food. Lastly, the results indicated that, although respondents had a great intent to buy organic food, this did not translate into actual purchase behaviour, because actual shopping behaviour of organic food was low, which reiterates the intention-behaviour gap. This means that, although the respondents had a strong intention to purchase organic foods, there are still hurdles which hindered them from making the actual buying of organic foods. The intention-behaviour gap among consumers is mostly triggered by the inaccessibility of organic food products, consumers’ lack of confidence in the trustworthiness of organic food certifications, and the high price of organic food. It is therefore advised that organic food sellers must aim to expand purchasers’ awareness of organic food, in terms of what makes organic food distinctive from non-organic food and the justifications for high prices of these products, so they will be more prepared to buy organic food. Organic food traders and marketers must improve the accessibility of these foods by supplying them where it is convenient for purchasers to buy such products. It is also suggested that the South African government must put in place official certification and inspection programmes for organic food products to improve consumer confidence in certified organic food products. This current research can contribute by adding value to the literature on environmental sustainability in the perspective of a growing economy, specifically South Africa. The research further extends its contribution in assisting organic food producers, operations, sellers, government and regulatory institutions to further understand the factors that influence consumer attitude for organic food and consumers’ buying intentions. This will enable the effective development of organic agricultural programmes (e.g. certification) and improve marketing campaigns that will motivate South Africans to select organic food products. / Life and Consumer Sciences / M. Cons. Sci.

An extensive number of previous studies have examined the consumption of organic foods from a consumer perspective, and previous studies that have examined Visual Merchandising have primarily focused on the fashion industry. The purpose of this study is to investigate how three physical grocery stores work with Visual Merchandising when displaying organic foods. Furthermore, the marketing strategies Visual Merchandising and the Marketing Mix were combined through a model illustrated in Figure 1. It was considered useful to combine these two marketing strategies as they complement and reinforce each other. The two theories have common characteristics and they therefore contribute to a comprehensive strategy that was considered valuable for the development of how organic foods are displayed in grocery stores. This multiple case study adopts a qualitative design to contribute to an in-depth understanding of the subject and the collected data. The data collection took place through semi-structured interviews with representatives from three different grocery stores in Sweden, who worked as sustainability managers or supermarket managers. The interviews were supplemented with structured observations in each store, where the departments investigated were fruit and vegetables, dairy, and colonial. The results showed that the stores studied have a beneficial display of organic food on regular shelf space, but rarely display organic food on special surfaces. Conclusions that can be drawn from the study are that the stores that were investigated worked with Visual Merchandising of organic foods to a certain extent, but that the conventional products were prioritized. The results of the study provide practical implications for grocery stores by reporting and clarifying how they work with display of organic foods, as well as how they can develop their work with Visual Merchandising desirably. The study's theoretical implications contribute to the revised theories in Figure 1. There a combination of Visual Merchandising and the Marketing Mix is proposed to examine the phenomenon from a new perspective. The study is written in Swedish. / En stor och omfattande andel tidigare studier har undersökt konsumtionen av ekologiska livsmedel ur ett konsumentperspektiv, och många av de tidigare studierna som har undersökt Visual Merchandising har främst fokuserat på modeindustrin. Denna studiens syfte är att undersöka hur tre fysiska Stora Coop-butiker arbetar med Visual Merchandising vid exponering av ekologiska livsmedel. Vidare kombinerades marknadsföringsstrategierna Visual Merchandising och Marknadsmixen tillsammans genom en modell som illustreras i Figur 1. Det sågs användbart att slå ihop dessa två marknadsföringsstrategier till en kombination då de förstärker varandra. De två teorierna ansågs besitta gemensamma egenskaper och bidrar därför till en heltäckande strategi för utvecklingen av exponering av ekologiska produkter i livsmedelsbutiker. Denna flerfallsstudie erhåller en kvalitativ design för att bidra till en djupgående förståelse av ämnet och den insamlande datan. Datainsamlingen skedde genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med representanter från tre olika Coop-butiker i Sverige, de arbetade som hållbarhetsansvarig eller stormarknadschef. Intervjuerna kompletterades med strukturerade observationer i respektive butik, där avdelningarna som undersöktes var frukt och grönt, mejeri och kolonial. Resultaten visar att de undersökta butikerna har en fördelaktig exponering av ekologiska livsmedel på ordinarie hyllplats, men exponerar sällan ekologiska livsmedel på specialytor. Slutsatser som kan dras av studien är att de butikerna som undersöktes arbetade med Visual Merchandising av ekologiska livsmedel i viss omfattning, men att de konventionella produkterna prioriterades. Studiens resultat ger praktiska implikationer för livsmedelsbutikerna genom att redovisa och tydliggöra hur de arbetar med exponering av ekologiska livsmedel, samt hur de kan utveckla sitt arbete med Visual Merchandising på ett önskvärt sätt. Studiens teoretiska implikationer bidrar med de omarbetade teorierna i Figur 1. Där föreslås en kombination av Visual Merchandising och Marknadsmixen för att undersöka fenomenet ur ett nytt perspektiv.

Esse trabalho apresenta as informações referentes ao comportamento de várias categorias de gastos, com destaque para o padrão de despesa e de aquisição física familiar com alimentos consumidos no domicílio, caracterizados como alimentos normais, orgânicos e light/diet, segundo as diferentes classes econômicas (alta, média e baixa). Também foram obtidas as elasticidades-renda da despesa e do consumo físico (kg) de vários itens de alimentos orgânicos e light/diet, comparando-as com os valores obtidos das elasticidades dos mesmos alimentos e/ou grupos de alimentos normais. Usando os dados da Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares - POF 2008-2009, a população é dividida em três classes econômicas, a partir de uma metodologia que maximiza a desigualdade entre estratos, ou minimiza a desigualdade dentro dos estratos. Já o método econométrico usado na estimativa das elasticidades consiste em calcular a despesa média em dez classes de renda familiar per capita e ajustar uma função poligonal com três segmentos mostrando como o logaritmo da despesa per capita média por classe varia em função do logaritmo da renda per capita. Constata-se que para os domicílios de classe baixa a alimentação tem um peso maior no orçamento familiar e o padrão dietético é mais restrito, sugerindo pouca diversidade. Alimentos do tipo orgânicos e light/diet são adquiridos em proporções mais elevadas nos domicílios da classe alta, refletindo o fato de que restrições orçamentárias no acesso aos alimentos coexistem com padrões de consumo dos estratos mais ricos, similares aos encontrados nos países de renda mais elevada. As elasticidades-renda das despesas mensais na aquisição de produtos light/diet e orgânicos foram maiores do que 1, na maioria dos casos, o que permite concluir que tais alimentos podem ser considerados como bens de luxo na economia brasileira. / This work presents information about the behavior of various spending categories, highlighting the patterns of expenditure and quantities of food consumed at home, with food items classified as regular, organic or light/diet. Families are divided in three economic classes (upper, middle and lower). Also, the income elasticities of the expenditures and quantities (kg) consumed of various items of organic and light/diet food were estimated, comparing them with the values of the elasticities of the corresponding type of regular food. Using data from Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares - POF 2008-2009 (the family budgets survey of 2008-2009), the population is divided into economic classes, based on a methodology that maximizes the inequality between the strata, or minimizes inequality within the strata. The econometric method used to estimate the elasticities consists of calculating the average expenditure in ten classes of per capita family income and fit to these ten points a polygonal function with three segments showing how the logarithm of the average per capita spending per class varies according to the logarithm of per capita income. It was noticed that in lower income families food has a higher weight in the family budget and the dietary pattern is more restricted, suggesting little diversity. Organic and light/diet food are acquired at higher proportions in higher income families, reflecting the fact that budget constraints in access to food coexist with consumption patterns of richer strata, similar to those found in higher-income countries. Income elasticities of monthly expenditure in the acquisition of light/diet and organic products were, in most cases, greater than 1, which suggests that such food may be considered as luxury goods in the Brazilian economy.

Adotando novos hábitos de consumo, os consumidores passaram a ser mais exigentes e conscientes de que suas práticas de consumo impactam na dinâmica ambiental, social e econômica, de forma a explorar o uso de recursos e quantidade de resíduos descartados na natureza. Essas mudanças são práticas do consumo consciente e responsável, o que é tido como politização do consumo. Percebendo isso, empresas de vários segmentos se adaptaram para fornecer produtos e serviços que atendam a essas exigências dos consumidores. Dentro dessa dinâmica, incluem-se os alimentos orgânicos, biodinâmicos, naturais e com práticas sustentáveis integradas em seus processos produtivos. Nessa perspectiva, vinícolas brasileiras iniciaram a produção de uvas orgânicas para produção de vinhos e, posteriormente, para produção de suco de uva. Contudo, devido às dificuldades climáticas e limitações de técnicas produtivas, essas vinícolas depararam-se com obstáculos para o fornecimento do vinho orgânico, seja pela questão técnica do sistema orgânico, ou mesmo pela forma de relacionamento de mercado, que faz com que o valor de orgânico e sustentável não chegue integralmente aos públicos de interesse. A partir da realidade produtiva do vinho orgânico, questiona-se, então, qual o panorama atual e futuro para o vinho orgânico. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desse trabalho é compreender a dinâmica da produção e consumo desse produto, a partir da implementação e manutenção de valor, descrição e análise das limitações produtivas, percepção de valor e análise do atual e futuro panorama do setor. Para a realização desse estudo, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa exploratória com os principais atores dessa cadeia. Foram entrevistadas e visitadas 05 (cinco) vinícolas, sendo 04 (quatro), das 06 (seis) existentes no Brasil, que produzem suco e vinho orgânicos e que possuem mix completo de produtos convencionais e a vinícola que produziu o primeiro vinho fino orgânico brasileiro, um representante do setor vitivinícola, um intermediário de comercialização e 20 (vinte) consumidores, além de busca de evidências em visitas a supermercados e internet. Os dados foram analisados a partir do cruzamento dos dados coletados, com análise de conteúdo simples, para então retirar temas que surgiram nas entrevistas com esses atores. Os resultados mostram que as vinícolas ainda têm dificuldade na implementação e comunicação do valor do vinho orgânico, bem como apresenta limitações nos processos produtivos, sobretudo por questões técnicas e climáticas. Contudo, já existem esforços para solucionar essas questões, como pesquisas e atividades para colaborar com os produtores de uva, principalmente em busca de técnicas para a produção orgânica. Com relação ao consumidor final, verifica-se que o valor ainda não chega a ele em sua integralidade, especialmente no que se refere a outras ações de sustentabilidade realizadas pelas vinícolas. Por outro lado, os consumidores percebem como um vinho de má qualidade, principalmente devido à variedade de uva utilizada para sua elaboração, levando à discussão sobre a adoção de práticas sustentáveis e fornecimento de um produto intermediário, entre orgânico e convencional, para em um futuro próximo se chegar à produção de um vinho fino orgânico que satisfaça a expectativa do consumidor final. / Adopting new consumption habits, consumers have became more demanding and conscious that their consumption practices impact on the environmental, social and economic dynamics, in order to worry about the exaggerated use of resources and quantity of waste used and discarded in nature. These are practices of conscious and responsible consumption, which are part of the politicization of consumption. Aware of this, companies from various segments have adapted to provide products and services that meet these consumer demands, in this dynamic, including organic, natural, biodynamic foods and that have sustainable practices integrated into their processes of production. In this perspective, Brazilian wineries began the production of organic grapes for wine production and later for the production of organic grape juice. However, due to the climatic difficulties and limitations of productive techniques, there were obstacles in the supply of this product, either by the technical question of the organic system or even by the form of market relationship, which does not reach there target public. It is questioned, therefore, from the organic wine production reality, its present and future panorama, in order to understand the dynamics of the production and consumption of this product, from the implementation and maintenance of value, description and analysis of the productive limitations, value perception and analysis of the current and future panorama of the sector. To carry out this study, an exploratory research was developed with the main actors of this chain, interviewing and visiting 05 (five) wineries, 04 (four) of 06 (six) existing in Brazil, that produce organic juice and wine and have a complete chain of conventional products and 01(one) interview with the winery that produced the first Brazilian organic fine wine, interview with 01 (one) representative of the sector, 01 (one) marketing intermediary and 20 (twenty) consumers, as well as search for evidences in visits to supermarkets and internet. The data were analyzed from the cross-tabulation of the data collected, using simple content analysis, and then themes emerged during the interviews with these actors. The results show that the wineries still have difficulty in implementing and communicating the value of this product, it has limitations in the productive processes, mainly due to technical and climatic issues. However, there are already efforts to address these issues, such as research and activities to collaborate with producers, mainly in search of techniques for organic production. On the other hand, the value still does not reach the final consumer, especially with regard to other sustainability actions carried out by the wineries. On the other hand, consumers still perceive as a product of poor quality, with regard to the taste and variety of grapes, which leads to a discussion on the adoption of sustainable practices and to provide an intermediate product, between organic and conventional, in the near future to obtain the production of an organic fine wine (from Vitis Vinifera grapes) that meets the expectations of the final consumer.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The objective of this study was compare the physicochemical composition and microbiological quality of organic milk to conventional. It was collected 30 samples from 10 animals Gir (P.O.) and Girolando (1/4, ½ and 5/8), in differents months in lactation (between 2 and 5) in each of the properties during February, March and April. The Fazenda Felicidade used to produce organic milk and Fazenda Peroba, used to produce conventional milk, both are located in Ituiutaba, Minas Gerais. That samples were submitted to mesophilic count, determinacion of fat, protein and solids percentage, and were submitted too a somatic cell count. For the statistical analysis used the Student t test (p<0.05) between the means of each analysis. It concluded with this study, that organic milk had higher fat, solids and protein percentages, and no difference in mesophilic count and somatic cell count compared to the conventional milk. / Objetivou-se nesse trabalho a comparação físico-química e microbiológica do leite produzido organicamente em relação ao oriundo de produção convencional. Foram colhidas 30 amostras de 10 animais das raças gir (puras de origem) e girolando (nos graus de sangue: 1/4, 1/2 e 5/8), com períodos de lactação variados (entre o 2º e o 5º de lactação) em cada uma das duas propriedades, a Fazenda Felicidade, destinada à produção de leite orgânico e a Fazenda Peroba, destinada à produção de leite convencional situadas no município de Ituiutaba em Minas Gerais, no período dos meses de Fevereiro, Março e Abril. Estas foram submetidas à contagem de mesófilos, à determinação do teor de gordura, extrato seco e proteína e à contagem de células somáticas. Para a análise estatística, foi utilizado o teste t Student (p < 0,05) comparando as médias obtidas em cada uma das análises. Concluiu-se com tal estudo que o leite orgânico apresentou maiores teores de gordura, extrato seco e proteína, e não houve diferença na contagem de mesófilos e na contagem de células somáticas em relação ao leite convencional. / Mestre em Ciências Veterinárias

Adotando novos hábitos de consumo, os consumidores passaram a ser mais exigentes e conscientes de que suas práticas de consumo impactam na dinâmica ambiental, social e econômica, de forma a explorar o uso de recursos e quantidade de resíduos descartados na natureza. Essas mudanças são práticas do consumo consciente e responsável, o que é tido como politização do consumo. Percebendo isso, empresas de vários segmentos se adaptaram para fornecer produtos e serviços que atendam a essas exigências dos consumidores. Dentro dessa dinâmica, incluem-se os alimentos orgânicos, biodinâmicos, naturais e com práticas sustentáveis integradas em seus processos produtivos. Nessa perspectiva, vinícolas brasileiras iniciaram a produção de uvas orgânicas para produção de vinhos e, posteriormente, para produção de suco de uva. Contudo, devido às dificuldades climáticas e limitações de técnicas produtivas, essas vinícolas depararam-se com obstáculos para o fornecimento do vinho orgânico, seja pela questão técnica do sistema orgânico, ou mesmo pela forma de relacionamento de mercado, que faz com que o valor de orgânico e sustentável não chegue integralmente aos públicos de interesse. A partir da realidade produtiva do vinho orgânico, questiona-se, então, qual o panorama atual e futuro para o vinho orgânico. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desse trabalho é compreender a dinâmica da produção e consumo desse produto, a partir da implementação e manutenção de valor, descrição e análise das limitações produtivas, percepção de valor e análise do atual e futuro panorama do setor. Para a realização desse estudo, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa exploratória com os principais atores dessa cadeia. Foram entrevistadas e visitadas 05 (cinco) vinícolas, sendo 04 (quatro), das 06 (seis) existentes no Brasil, que produzem suco e vinho orgânicos e que possuem mix completo de produtos convencionais e a vinícola que produziu o primeiro vinho fino orgânico brasileiro, um representante do setor vitivinícola, um intermediário de comercialização e 20 (vinte) consumidores, além de busca de evidências em visitas a supermercados e internet. Os dados foram analisados a partir do cruzamento dos dados coletados, com análise de conteúdo simples, para então retirar temas que surgiram nas entrevistas com esses atores. Os resultados mostram que as vinícolas ainda têm dificuldade na implementação e comunicação do valor do vinho orgânico, bem como apresenta limitações nos processos produtivos, sobretudo por questões técnicas e climáticas. Contudo, já existem esforços para solucionar essas questões, como pesquisas e atividades para colaborar com os produtores de uva, principalmente em busca de técnicas para a produção orgânica. Com relação ao consumidor final, verifica-se que o valor ainda não chega a ele em sua integralidade, especialmente no que se refere a outras ações de sustentabilidade realizadas pelas vinícolas. Por outro lado, os consumidores percebem como um vinho de má qualidade, principalmente devido à variedade de uva utilizada para sua elaboração, levando à discussão sobre a adoção de práticas sustentáveis e fornecimento de um produto intermediário, entre orgânico e convencional, para em um futuro próximo se chegar à produção de um vinho fino orgânico que satisfaça a expectativa do consumidor final. / Adopting new consumption habits, consumers have became more demanding and conscious that their consumption practices impact on the environmental, social and economic dynamics, in order to worry about the exaggerated use of resources and quantity of waste used and discarded in nature. These are practices of conscious and responsible consumption, which are part of the politicization of consumption. Aware of this, companies from various segments have adapted to provide products and services that meet these consumer demands, in this dynamic, including organic, natural, biodynamic foods and that have sustainable practices integrated into their processes of production. In this perspective, Brazilian wineries began the production of organic grapes for wine production and later for the production of organic grape juice. However, due to the climatic difficulties and limitations of productive techniques, there were obstacles in the supply of this product, either by the technical question of the organic system or even by the form of market relationship, which does not reach there target public. It is questioned, therefore, from the organic wine production reality, its present and future panorama, in order to understand the dynamics of the production and consumption of this product, from the implementation and maintenance of value, description and analysis of the productive limitations, value perception and analysis of the current and future panorama of the sector. To carry out this study, an exploratory research was developed with the main actors of this chain, interviewing and visiting 05 (five) wineries, 04 (four) of 06 (six) existing in Brazil, that produce organic juice and wine and have a complete chain of conventional products and 01(one) interview with the winery that produced the first Brazilian organic fine wine, interview with 01 (one) representative of the sector, 01 (one) marketing intermediary and 20 (twenty) consumers, as well as search for evidences in visits to supermarkets and internet. The data were analyzed from the cross-tabulation of the data collected, using simple content analysis, and then themes emerged during the interviews with these actors. The results show that the wineries still have difficulty in implementing and communicating the value of this product, it has limitations in the productive processes, mainly due to technical and climatic issues. However, there are already efforts to address these issues, such as research and activities to collaborate with producers, mainly in search of techniques for organic production. On the other hand, the value still does not reach the final consumer, especially with regard to other sustainability actions carried out by the wineries. On the other hand, consumers still perceive as a product of poor quality, with regard to the taste and variety of grapes, which leads to a discussion on the adoption of sustainable practices and to provide an intermediate product, between organic and conventional, in the near future to obtain the production of an organic fine wine (from Vitis Vinifera grapes) that meets the expectations of the final consumer.