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Dietary priorities and consumers’ views of the healthiness of organic food : purity or flexibility?

Denver, Sigrid ; Christensen, Tove ; Nordström, Jonas LU ; Ditlevsen, Kia ; Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård and Sandøe, Peter (2022) In Organic Agriculture 12(2). p.163-175
Abstract

Previous studies have shown that belief in the healthiness of organic food is a strong motive for buying organic. Typically, a positive relation between a nutritionally balanced diet (with respect to fruit, vegetables and meat) and organic consumption is also found. As market shares of organic food are much smaller than those of conventional food, consumers may face a trade-off between buying organic and choosing the nutritional composition they prefer. Using data from a survey of around 1300 Danish consumers, we found that almost all respondents believed that organic food contains fewer unwanted substances than non-organic food, and that around a third considered organic food to be nutritionally superior. Respondents with high organic... (More)

Previous studies have shown that belief in the healthiness of organic food is a strong motive for buying organic. Typically, a positive relation between a nutritionally balanced diet (with respect to fruit, vegetables and meat) and organic consumption is also found. As market shares of organic food are much smaller than those of conventional food, consumers may face a trade-off between buying organic and choosing the nutritional composition they prefer. Using data from a survey of around 1300 Danish consumers, we found that almost all respondents believed that organic food contains fewer unwanted substances than non-organic food, and that around a third considered organic food to be nutritionally superior. Respondents with high organic consumption and who believe in the nutritious superiority of organic food products were more likely to belong to a small group of respondents who prioritized buying organic. However, the vast majority, particularly those with low levels of organic consumption, prioritized dietary flexibility over organic produce. Our findings suggest that to motivate those in this large consumer segment to increase their organic consumption, it will be necessary to offer a broader, more nutritionally differentiated, range of organic products.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Dietary flexibility, Health characteristics, Organic consumption, Stated preferences
in
Organic Agriculture
volume
12
issue
2
pages
13 pages
publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85131081481
ISSN
1879-4238
DOI
10.1007/s13165-022-00396-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
caa81f35-872a-436f-adec-19fda04960dd
date added to LUP
2022-12-28 11:10:54
date last changed
2024-01-03 20:35:54
@article{caa81f35-872a-436f-adec-19fda04960dd,
  abstract     = {{<p>Previous studies have shown that belief in the healthiness of organic food is a strong motive for buying organic. Typically, a positive relation between a nutritionally balanced diet (with respect to fruit, vegetables and meat) and organic consumption is also found. As market shares of organic food are much smaller than those of conventional food, consumers may face a trade-off between buying organic and choosing the nutritional composition they prefer. Using data from a survey of around 1300 Danish consumers, we found that almost all respondents believed that organic food contains fewer unwanted substances than non-organic food, and that around a third considered organic food to be nutritionally superior. Respondents with high organic consumption and who believe in the nutritious superiority of organic food products were more likely to belong to a small group of respondents who prioritized buying organic. However, the vast majority, particularly those with low levels of organic consumption, prioritized dietary flexibility over organic produce. Our findings suggest that to motivate those in this large consumer segment to increase their organic consumption, it will be necessary to offer a broader, more nutritionally differentiated, range of organic products.</p>}},
  author       = {{Denver, Sigrid and Christensen, Tove and Nordström, Jonas and Ditlevsen, Kia and Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård and Sandøe, Peter}},
  issn         = {{1879-4238}},
  keywords     = {{Dietary flexibility; Health characteristics; Organic consumption; Stated preferences}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{163--175}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
  series       = {{Organic Agriculture}},
  title        = {{Dietary priorities and consumers’ views of the healthiness of organic food : purity or flexibility?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13165-022-00396-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s13165-022-00396-0}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}