دانلود رایگان ترجمه مقاله رفتار مصرف کننده و قصد خرید مواد غذایی ارگانیک (نشریه الزویر 2017)

رفتار مصرف کننده و قصد خرید مواد غذایی ارگانیک: مقاله مروری و برنامه تحقیقاتی

Consumer behavior and purchase intention for organic food: A review and research agenda

Abstract

In this article, we review and discuss the factors, which affect the change in the consumer behavior towards organic food. We extract findings from various studies conducted in different countries and analyze those factors and provide suggestions for future research. We find that health-conscious consumers show a growing preference for organic food over the conventionally grown food. This shift in the attitude of the modern consumers is greatly influenced by the rising incidence of lifestyle diseases, such as heart disorders and depression. The need to purchase organic food to improve the quality of life will have huge implications for the retail, distribution and marketing functions of business.

1 Introduction

In the late twentieth century, the world witnessed a paradigm shift in the reach of education and in the attitude of people towards life. As part of this shift, there was a marked increase in the preference for organic food. Traditionally, many farmers were unaware of the modern and scientific food production techniques and thus, they did not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or other crop-preserving chemicals in the process of food production. They used to grow pesticide-free food for self-consumption only. In fact, this consumption of organic food was symbolic of the ethical value system (Grosglik, 2016).

Then, a trend emerged between 1940s and 1960s when farmers shifted to more efficient and intensive food production techniques, which involved the use of advanced methods. This trend flourished despite the knowledge of the benefits of organic food. The reason for this is attributed to the increase in human population coupled with the devastating famines in certain parts of the world, which mandated higher production of food. Bolstered by Industrialization and improvements in agricultural chemicals, the farmers shifted to such forms of food production. As a result, organic farming took a backseat, and consumers began purchasing conventionally grown food because of its sheer abundance and lower prices (Mutlu, 2007).

Eventually, the indiscriminate use of chemicals led to environmental deterioration. Also, the commercial objectives, which led to the use of hazardous pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the farms and agricultural land meant that consumers were buying food and food products without any nutritional value. The high incidence of lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and heart disorders, raised an alarm which made consumers realize the importance of food quality and safety (Menrad, 2003; Roberfroid, 2002). Many consumers, these days, believe in the motto “You are what you eat” — a perception that has highly contributed to the increase in demand for organic food (Norman et al., 2000). With both consumers and farmers thinking about returning to organically grown and environmentally friendly products, organic food is gaining acceptance not only in developed countries of Europe and North America, but also in developing countries such as China and India (Patel et al., 2007; Paul et al., 2016).

The shift in consumer attitude occurred because organic food has fulfilled the expectations of modern consumers. Organic agriculture combines several practices including the application of organic fertilizers, locally adapted seeds/breeds, biological pest control and intercropping with nitrogen-fixing trees, or legumes, or with other synergistic crops (Adamtey et al., 2016). Also, consumers can afford to purchase organic food to attain better quality of life due to the commensurate growth in their disposable income (Kriwy and Mecking, 2012). All this has led some marketers to promote their products as being healthy which is different from the promotional efforts associated with the hedonic foods (Bublitz and Peracchio, 2015). They argued that adapting successful industry practices to promote a healthy shift in the eating habits of consumers will help businesses producing such healthy products to thrive. For this, marketers need to know about the prospective consumers to whom they can promote organic food. Moreover, they want to know what factors will influence the purchase decisions of such consumers. But the above literature does not throw light on the consumer segments willing to purchase the organic food.

To identify and target the consumers of organic food, we need to understand their outlook and the factors, which affect their outlook. This will help to understand the most important considerations, which shape the behavior of organic food consumers. Moreover, it will provide a detailed analytical framework for the reasons, which cause change in attitude of consumers towards organic food. In this context, the objectives of the study can be specified as follows i) Assess the reasons which underlie the shift in the attitude of consumers towards organic food ii) Cluster the important factors that affect consumer attitude and behavior towards organic food. iii). Identify the factors, which are not given much importance in making positive the attitude of the consumer towards organic food. Identify the research gaps in literature and key issues to be researched in the future for making organic food more popular.

In order to address these objectives, this article is structured in sections given as follows: Section 2 deals with the objectives of the study. Methodology is outlined in Section 3. Overview and trends are given in Section 4. The findings are discussed in Section 5. A new framework is developed in Section 6 which could serve as a benchmark for organizations dealing with the organic food. Section 7 provides directions for future research. Section 8 carries the concluding observations.