Sarah Hemmerling

Consumption behaviour regarding organic food from a marketing perspective—a literature review

There are many publications focusing on diverse aspects of marketing research for organic products. However, so far there have been very few attempts to provide an overall synthesis of current knowledge. The present study therefore gives an overview of marketing research for organic food consumption, enabling the identification of research strengths and deficits. The review analyses a total of 277 research studies published between January 2000 and December 2011. The structure of this review was derived from the concept of the consumer-oriented marketing mix (4Cs), taking into account consumer value and benefits, cost to the consumer, communication and information needs and convenience and distribution. The results of this qualitative analysis reveal a high density of publications, especially for the period from 2008 to 2011. The most investigated topics are cost to the consumer and consumer value and benefits. Nevertheless, there are still many aspects within these research areas that have not yet been addressed, such as ecological packaging, price knowledge and price processing. The research areas communication and information needs and convenience and distribution are also less intensively researched.

Organic food labels as a signal of sensory quality—insights from a cross-cultural consumer survey

Organic food labels are promising tools to transmit the positive image of organic products to consumers. Besides health-related aspects and environmental concerns, declaration of organic quality may have a positive impact on consumers’ taste perception. Many studies have proven the positive image of organic products, but very few have considered the link between labeling a product as organic and the consumer’s evaluation of sensory quality. This paper therefore investigates how organic consumers from six European countries (Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the Netherlands) are influenced by the information that strawberry yogurt is produced organically or conventionally. Within the framework of a European Union-funded research project, a cross-cultural survey with a total of N = 1,797 respondents was conducted between October 2010 and February 2011. Standardized computer-assisted interview techniques were combined with sensory tests. Results show that the presence of an organic label may lead to an enhancement of taste perception. With the exception of Italy, consumers evaluated the same product sample slightly better when an organic label was shown. For the evaluation of conventional products, the opposite effect was found for three out of six countries. These findings reveal that the positive sensory image of the organic food branch transfers to single organic products, resulting in a better taste evaluation. However, the relatively weak label effect observed in all study countries suggests that an improvement of the sensory image of organic products is advisable. This can be addressed by enhancing the sensory performance of food products as well as by implementing extensive sensory marketing activities.

Developing an authenticity model of traditional food specialties

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an authenticity model for food specialties considering both the subjective and the object-based dimensions of authenticity. Moreover, the relationship with personality traits – such as consumer self-concept and identification with the product – (antecedents) as well as with the consumption intention (consequences) are measured. Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses were analyzed by means of a structural equation model using AMOS. Calculations were based on data collected through an online survey of 138 German respondents who were recruited by a consumer panel. Findings – Both subjective and object-based perceived authenticity significantly influence the purchase intention. Object-based authenticitys role is mediated by the subjective authenticity, which is affected by the consumers self-identification with the product and personality traits such as determination and passion. Research limitations/implications – The results presented in this paper will h...

Preference for naturalness of European organic consumers First evidence of an attitude-liking gap

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into European organic consumers’ attitudes towards natural food and in their sensory preference for it. It explores whether there is any evidence for a latent dimension that represents consumers’ attitudes towards naturalness and which aspects can be assigned to this dimension. However, the main scope is to investigate whether attitudes towards naturalness are able to predict the liking of natural food. Design/methodology/approach Sensory tests of strawberry yoghurt are combined with consumer information obtained by means of a standardised questionnaire. About 1,800 organic consumers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland were asked to blindly test two strawberry yoghurt samples that differed only in their absence/presence of an aroma additive. Findings On average, the consumers revealed a positive attitude towards natural food, but a negative sensory preference for the more natural yoghurt sample. Correlations between these two variables indicate that for most countries one cannot conclude that more naturalness-oriented consumers actually prefer the taste of more naturally flavoured yoghurts. This finding is interpreted as an attitude-liking gap. Research limitations/implications More research is necessary in order to clarify the reasons for the attitude-liking gap, since the authors can only speculate about these. Also, suitable data are needed to confirm the assumption made here that the naturalness of strawberry yoghurt can be determined by the degree of flavour intensity, especially against the background that the sensory skills of consumers are usually weak. Originality/value No attempt has been undertaken so far to test the claim that natural food products taste better and whether consumers with a positive attitude towards naturalness actually prefer the taste of a natural product over the taste of a more processed one. The present study attempts to fill this gap by exploring the preference for naturalness in a cross-national context.

Core Organic Taste: Preferences for Naturalness-Related Sensory Attributes of Organic Food Among European Consumers

ABSTRACT Consumers’ preferences for organic food have evolved in recent years, moving from altruistic values to more egoistic buying motivations, such as health promoting or nutritional aspects and sensory properties. Hypothesizing that organic consumers have peculiar preferences for naturalness-related sensory attributes, we developed the concept of the “core organic taste” based on the principles of a wholesome nutrition. This article investigates to what extent the “core organic taste” is relevant across different European countries and its potential relevance for food marketing. A sample of 1,798 organic food consumers was interviewed during 2010–2011 in six European countries. Explorative factor analysis, correlation analysis, ANOVA, and post hoc tests were applied to analyze the data. Results show that the “core organic taste” is not applicable for all countries. Indeed, for most countries only single elements seem to be relevant. However, for Germany and Switzerland the “core organic taste”—representing the first “taste style”—has proven its potential value and points at the need for more research in this field. Depending on the country, product developers and marketers could potentially use different elements of the “core organic taste” to better meet organic consumers’ wishes and expectations. Finally, recommendations and suggestions for practitioners and academia are provided.

Cross-National Sensory Segments in the Organic Market Based on Stated Preferences for the Five Basic Tastes

ABSTRACT Taste is one of the most important motivations for purchasing food. Studies regarding sensory preferences for specific product categories prove that consumers differ in their liking of sensory attributes. However, little is known about general consumers’ taste preferences that are not related to a certain product. Therefore, this study analyzes if patterns of general taste preferences exist, and how they can be characterized. To this end, 1,796 organic consumers from six different European countries, interviewed as part of an EU-funded research project between October 2010 and February 2011, were segmented based on their stated preferences for the five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Seven consumer segments were identified. They differed in their size as well as in their distributions of gender, age, and organic consumption frequency. All seven taste patterns can be found in each of the six study countries. As an approach toward stronger marketing-oriented sensory research, this study shows that a consumer segmentation based on general taste preferences as a fundament for sensory marketing is meaningful and promising.

Old vegetable varieties: attitude, consumption behaviour and knowledge of German consumers

Against the background of the increasing relevance of ethical and sustainability-oriented consumption motives, parsnip, mangold, Jerusalem artichoke and other vegetables are experiencing a renaissance in Germany. However, in spite of the increasing presence of old vegetable varieties (ovv) in German kitchens, cooking shows and recipe books, so far few scientific investigations have been made to analyse the consumption of ovv from a consumers’ perspective. The present study provides first insights into the consumption of ovv with the aim to reveal market potentials in Germany in order to increase their utilisation and to support their preservation. By means of a standardised online survey, the study analysed the attitudes of 216 German consumers towards and knowledge about ovv. Three consumer segments could be identified from this analysis, one of which can be considered as a promising target group - the fanciers of old vegetable varieties - characterised by a positive attitude towards and a high familiarity with ovv. The implications for the marketing of ovv are discussed.