Sustainable Foods: Consumer Opinions and Behaviour towards Organic Fruits in Poland

Abstract

By producing high quality food with a low environmental impact, organic farming plays an essential role in developing sustainable food systems. Over time, consumer interest in organic food is systematically growing, which results in a generally positive attitude towards organic products. Many studies that are devoted to analysing organic food consumers’ behaviour aim to generalise the studied trends to the population of a given country or region. Given the varying rates of organic market development between countries, there is a need for more narrowly focused research, which could more profoundly facilitate local development of organic market. The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of Polish consumers about organic fruit and to identify the socioeconomic and sociodemographic determinants of the propensity to choose and purchase organic fruit. Respondents were recruited via a market research agency using a consumer access panel. To collect responses, a formal, structured questionnaire was developed and distributed using the CAWI method. The general acceptance of price increases for organic apples amounts to less than around 30% (89% of responses). The effect of income and package size tend to interact with regard to the purchase preference of apples (p < 0.001). The highest frequency of organic fruit purchases were indicated for physical stores, in particular supermarkets (5.35 times/month, 95%CI). A relationship between willingness to consume organic fruits and the self-described economic situation (p = 0.005), as well as true household income (p = 0.007), has been shown. A relationship between the frequency of organic fruit purchases and the number of household members (p = 0.006), as well as number of household members under the age of 18 (p = 0.011), has also been shown. Marketing techniques for organic products should emphasize family welfare and be directed at younger consumers, especially at retail outlets where customers are most likely to buy them, namely physical supermarkets, local grocery stores and discount stores.