ORGANIC FOOD IN CONSUMERS’ OPINION

 

Zbigniew J. Dolatowski, Monika Drozd

 

Department of Meat Technology and Food Quality, Agricultural University,  Lublin Department of Economic and Natural Sciences, State School Of Higher Vocational Education,  Jarosław

 

Key words: organic food, consumer

 

Introduction

Nowadays more and more people withdraw their trust placed in food produced with industry methods. A prevailing opinion is that such food is usually not very tasty, and plants and animals coming from cultivation and industry cultures, are not good for our health. The fact that World Health Organization (WHO) is alarming that the chemical pollution of food causes 30% of cancer diseases, and that a few years ago it has already  turned out that 25% of dietary products in Poland are seriously contaminated, causes the increase in demand for organic food in recent years.

Among the changes in the consumers' behaviour there appears the growing interest in consumption of organic food. This food is and will be the important segment of the food market in the majority of countries in Europe. The increase in the development of organic farming and at the same time the increase in the supply of natural food is the effect of institutional actions and consumers' increasing knowledge on the subject of the role of food in the people's lives. Apart from promoting chosen groups of food in our country we also promote organic food due to the specificity of our agriculture. The regulations of organic production already are and they will be the inspiration for the development of Polish agriculture, especially in regions with the low-goods farming.

The research of the customers' behaviour points that the consumption of organic food in Europe constitutes a part of the way of life which may be derivative of the particular system of values especially concerning the role and meaning of food in our health. Showing the superiority of organic food is not popular in each region.  There are some objective difficulties which limit the consumption and, at the same time the production of organic food. It is stated that  both consumption and knowledge of food is diversified in various regions of the country. The consumers appreciate health and nutritional values of such food, but they don't sometimes have the chance to purchase it. Prices and not very high, common food - awareness of the customers are the barriers in the development of the market of organic food. It results from the research that such food is roughly 20% more expensive which is the effect of lower crops and higher production costs. For Polish consumers organic food very often means fruit coming from their own allotments, bought at the open – air market or products received from family living in the countryside.

The consumers' expectations concerning food have also been alternating over the past  few years – some of them appreciate in particular the ease of preparing meals, the others the possibility to gain additional benefits and still others value the health safety of food. Organic food comes up to all these expectations.

The specification of the standard of knowledge, possibilities and willingness to purchase the organic food of the customers of groceries in the area of south – eastern Poland were the purpose of this research. A hypothesis was put up that the knowledge and consumption of organic food in south - eastern  Poland  is relatively little and there is no demand for it among consumers. 

 

 

Materials and methods

 

Examinations were carried out using the poll questionnaire with the method of direct questionnaire in December 2006 in groceries in south- eastern Poland. The questionnaire contained 22 questions which referred to: assortments of the purchase of organic food, criteria of the purchase, the frequency and the place of purchase, the preferences as well as personal features: age, sex, education and the dwelling place.   The questionnaire researched professionally active people (group of consumers). We employed the so-called  random selection of respondents. The condition that let us choose the people was repeated shopping for food in groceries where poll research was conducted. Research referred to people from small localities and villages (1).

After collecting questionnaires, they were verified from the perspective of correctness. We found that it was possible to include all polls in elaborated effects of the research. The results were presented as values in general scoring which it was 100% of questionnaires. 

 

 

Results and discusion

 

Respondents' characteristics

 

The results of research (table no 1) we observe that women are prevailing in consumers' tested group which it is understandable because they more often are responsible for shopping for food, especially in  south-eastern Poland. They constitute 60% of the tested population. The majority of respondents were people aged 20 - 30 which is  47.6% of the general number of the surveyed people and 30 – 50 years old (32.4%). People under 20 were 10% and the least numerous group were the people over 50, it was 9.7% of the surveyed population.

Predominating group among the young respondents were students (35%), however white-collar workers fulfilling managerial duties were only 6.5%. The other big group were manual workers,, white-collar workers not-fulfilling managerial duties and farm owners - respectively: 15.8%, 15% and 9.3%. Equal percentage was represented by respondents working as teachers, lawyers and the retired – 8.9 %.The surveyed group possesses high school education -  53% however the people with the university degree were only 24% of the whole researched group. People with the vocational trainig were 17.4%. The least numerous group were respondents with the elementary education, they were around 5.8% of the total amount of surveyed people.

The surveyed group were mainly village inhabitants - 68%, town dwellers (up to 20 thousand residents) - 19%. The percentage of people living in towns (from 20 to 100 thousand inhabitants) was 10% of the total amount of the researched people. 2.4%. were the people living in large cities over 100 thousand inhabitants. The main purpose of the survey was to research respondents from villages and small towns.

 

 

Table 1. Respondents characteristics / % /.

 

 

Specification

 

Respondents [%]

 

Sex

Women

59.8

Men

40.2

 

Age

Under 20

10.1

20 - 30

47.8

30 - 50

32.4

Above 50

9.7

 

 

 

Status

Manual worker

15.8

White-collar worker (managerial duties)

6.5

White-collar worker (not-fulfilling managerial duties)

15

 Student or pupil

35

Farm owner

9.3

The retired

8.9

Free occupation

8.9

 

Education

Elementary

5.8

Vocational trainig

17.4

High school

53.1

University degree

23.6

 

Dwelling place

Village

68.3

Town up to 20 thousand  residents

19.3

Town 20 - 100 thousand residents

10

Town above 100 thousand residents

2.4

 

 

Consumption of organic  food

 

On the basis of achieved results (table no 2) we found that 82% of the surveyed people declare consuming organic food and, at the same time18% of the surveyed people do not eat it. A large number of the syrveyed people, 54.5% buy organic food (table no 2), whereas 8.7%  do it often, almost every day.

 

Table 2. Buying, consuming food by customers

 

No

Specification

Percentage participation of the answers

 

1.

 

Consuming of organic food

 

and) yes, systematically

17.6

 

82

b) yes, from time to time

64.4

c) no

18

 

2.

 

Buying of organic food

 

and) yes

54.5

 

b) no

45.5

 

3.

How often is organic food bought by consumers?

 

and) every day

8.7

b) once a week week

26.3

c) 2 - 3 times in a week

27.5

d) more seldom than once a week

37.5

 

4.

 

Reasons for not buying the organic food

 

a)      There is no such food n the shop in which I do my shopping

32.7

 

54

b)     Shops with such food are located far away

21.3

c)      I don't know where the shops with organic food are located

12.9

d)     Organic food is too expensive

18

e)      I am not interested in the purchase of organic food

12

f)       I am not able to distinguish organic food

3.1

 

5.

 

The access  to organic food

 

a)      Very large

0.8

b)     Large

6.4

c)      Average

25.5

d)     Small

38

e)      Very small

18.6

f)       Minimal

10.7

 

The surveyed people declare large diversity of places in which they buy organic food (chart 1). Around 19% of respondents buy such products directly at the ecological farms, however 14% at the open – air market. 17% of the surveyed consumers buy the food at the supermarkets, 15% in special shops with organic food. But in most cases organic food comes from own cultivation - 35%. Among the surveyed people 45.5% do not buy organic food. The most important reason is that there are no shops in the vicinity with food of this type (54% of answers) and too high price of these products (18 % of answers). Some of the respondents  stated that they were not interested in  organic  food or were not able to distinguish it. 38% of the respondents think the access to organic food is too little, and 18.6% claim it is very little.

 

Figure 1. The origin of organic products.

 

 

 

 

The main resons of purchasing the organic food (chart 2) was the opinion present among the consumers that it is safe for our health (37%) and the concern about own health (41%). The taste of organic food is the next factor thanks to which 17% of consumers buy organic food, whereas 5% choose this kind of food to protect the environment against the chemical poisoning of farming.

 

 

Figure  2. The reasons of purchase of organic products.

 

The products most often most often bought by the surveyed people (chart 3) are fruit and vegetables - 42%, cow milk and dairy products - 27%. Meat and meat products were mentioned more rarely - 13%, cereal products - 11%, food for children - 6%, goat milk and its products - 1%.

 

 

Figure 3. The kinds of organic food being bought.

 

Respondents opinion of organic food.

 

The organic food in the consumers’ opinion  is produced without the usage of chemical fertilizers (46%) (table no 3), food from ecologically clean environments (24%), food that undergoes additional controls (16%). Almost 14% of consumers think that excluding genetically modified products in organic food production is its important attribute. Only 0.8% of respondents did not hear about such food.

 

Table 3. Consumers opinion of organic food and information about it

 

 

No

 

Specification

Percentage participation of the answers

 

1.

 

Opinion of organic food

a)      Food from clean environments

24

b)     Food produced without the so-called chemical fertilizers

46

c)      Food which production undergoes additional controls

16

d)      Food deprived of organisms genetically modified

13.4

e) I didn't hear of such food

0.6

 

2.

 

Is there enough information concerning the organic food

a) yes

12.5

b) no

72

c) I  have no opinion

15.5

 

 The consumers describe products of organic farming as natural (33%) and healthy 32% (chart 4). Equally large group are people defining it as safe for our health (22%). It is worth emphasizing that none of respondents describe organic food as unsuitable for consumption. Consumers also enumerated freshness, the nutritional value and very high organoleptic qualities as advantages of organic food.

 

Figure 4. Specification of organic products

 

In the opinion of the 72% of the surveyed people the infornation concerning the organic food is insufficient. The results of the survey showed that mass media were the source of basic information about organic food for consumers (41% of answers). Other sources of information were: family (16%),the Internet and contacts with farmers (14%), school (11%).

 

Figure 5. Sources of information about organic food

 

Conducted research shows that 25% of consumers are willing to pay for organic food up to 10% more than for conventional food.

 

Table 4. The impact of factors on the purchase of organic food

 

 

No

 

Specification

Prcentage participation of the answer

1.

Impact of the price and other factors on buying organic food

More expensive up to 10% than traditional food

25

More expensive up to 20% than traditional food

5.2

More expensive up to 50% than traditional food

1

It was available in nearby shops

48.5

There was more information about advantages of this food in mass media

20.3

 

Conclusions

 

The interest in organic food among consumers in south - eastern Poland is to a great extent the effect of knowledge and availability of this food in trade.There is also a system of values tied with knowledge, education, the age, the dwelling place as well as the role of this food in shaping health. Received results show that societies of smaller urban agglomerations, villages, small towns begin to involve into the purchase of organic food. It creates new challenges to manufacturers, food processing industry as well as government institutions for creating economic boom for this type of food. It is more expensive but it activates the farming, which can have a great significance in the nearest future for the toutist development of the region.

 

References

[ 1] Kaczmarczyk S.: Badania marketingowe .Metody i techniki (Marketing research. Methods and techniques). Polskie Wydawnictwo Ekonomiczne. Warszawa 2002.