Opinions of professional buyers toward organic produce: A case study of mid-Atlantic market for fresh tomatoes

Abstract

A survey of professional tomato buyers indicated that handlers and nonhandlers of organic tomatoes had common perceptions of the organic market and its limitations. Both groups identified the following factors as constraining the organic market: low demands by consumers and retailers, uncertainties about organic labeling, short supplies of organics, and the discard rate of organics. However, handlers and nonhandlers differed in their opinions about quality consistency and appearance. As the buyers’ preferences for organic tomatoes increased, the importance of shelf life, discard rate, quality consistency, and appearance in constraining the organic market lessened. The survey also showed that nonhandlers would pay substantially less for organic tomatoes than for conventional tomatoes, even when all other attributes were the same. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.