Consumer Perception Of Organic Foods Affected By Food Type And Where They're Sold

URBANA, Ill. – The organic food industry has grown from fresh produce and grains to snack foods and condiments—from farmers markets to supercenters. Has this new variety in organic products, and the availability of them, affected consumers’ perceptions?  A University of Illinois researcher and her team designed an experiment to provide insight on some of the variables that may influence opinions about organic foods.

“Past research has often asked how much someone is willing to pay for an organic product, but has rarely considered the context in which that purchase takes place,” says U of I food economist Brenna Ellison. “In this study, we look at how the organic label interacts with the product type as well as the retail purchase context.”

Ellison and her team conducted an experiment with 605 people who evaluated a food product’s expected taste, nutrition, safety, and likelihood of purchase. The products were strawberries and chocolate sandwich cookies sold by a fictitious brand called Cam’s. In the experiment, the products were either organic or non-organic and sold in one of two supercenters, Walmart or Target. Each participant only evaluated one of the eight potential combinations.

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