The labeling of organic food: understanding consumer perceptions

The organic sector is one of the fastest growing food markets in the developed world, with a significant number of consumers continuing to prioritize healthy products that are ethically and sustainably sourced in their weekly shopping baskets. The body of existing research has identified the buyers of organic products and that health and environment are important to those buyers. This literature has also identified that very few customers are dedicated organic food buyers with most purchasing it only some of the time. The main barriers to purchase are associated with price premiums, limited availability for some customers and the blemished appearance of some fresh organic produce. This paper examines perceptions of organic food labeling in the market place based on a large Australian study (n=1011). Findings demonstrate that despite the ongoing prevalence of communication pertaining to organic food, a majority of consumers are still claiming that labels of processed organic food are not clear. This lack of clarity provides an opportunity for the industry to further focus marketing communication on labeling in order to clarify information about organic food.