Insights into Organic Food Consumption in Tenerife (Spain): Examining Consumer Profiles and Preferences

Pablo Alonso González (), Celia Extremo Martín, Raimundo Otero Enríquez, Raquel de la Cruz Modino, Francisco Nauzet Arocha Alonso (), Samara González Rodríguez and Eva Parga Dans
Additional contact information
Pablo Alonso González: Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 Tenerife, Spain
Celia Extremo Martín: Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 Tenerife, Spain
Raimundo Otero Enríquez: Grupo de Estudios Territoriales, University of A Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, Spain
Raquel de la Cruz Modino: Instituto de Investigación Social y Turismo, Universidad de La Laguna, 38280 Tenerife, Spain
Francisco Nauzet Arocha Alonso: Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 Tenerife, Spain
Samara González Rodríguez: Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 Tenerife, Spain
Eva Parga Dans: Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 Tenerife, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: This paper explores consumer profiles and preferences for organic food on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). With a growing demand for organic products driven by health-consciousness and environmental concerns, understanding the factors that influence consumer behavior in this market is crucial. This study analyzes socio-demographic characteristics and market trends to uncover the motivations behind the demand for organic food through a survey of shoppers in stores selling certified organic products. By examining consumer awareness, perceived benefits, willingness to pay premium prices, proximity consumption patterns, and meat consumption, valuable insights are gained. Findings reveal that organic purchase habits and consumer profiles mostly align with the overall Spanish profile. A specific category of consumers who claim to follow a Mediterranean diet are identified as “switchers” who oscillate between organic and conventional produce without ideological and ethical commitment. Consumers clearly differentiate between the kinds of products they prefer to buy with organic or proximity attributes. Organic meat consumption correlates with a higher income and willingness to pay for it. By identifying distinct consumer profiles within the organic food market, this study provides actionable recommendations for businesses and policymakers to tailor their strategies and foster the growth of the organic food sector.

Keywords: organic food; consumer profiles; consumer preferences; Spain; sustainable consumption; market trends; consumer behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2123/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2123/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2123-:d:1603193

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().