Organic Food Demand: A Focus Group Study Involving Caucasian and African-American Shoppers

Lydia Zepeda (), Hui-Shung Chang and Catherine Leviten-Reid

Agriculture and Human Values, 2006, vol. 23, issue 3, 385-394

Abstract: A focus group study using four groups of food shoppers provides insights into consumers’ knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding organic foods. Two focus groups consisted of shoppers who regularly bought organic foods and two focus groups of shoppers who predominantly purchased conventional foods. Participants in one of the conventional groups were all Caucasian; in the other they were all African-American. While familiarity with organic foods was much lower in the African-American group, its members were more receptive and positive towards organic foods. Likewise, the African-American shoppers were more accepting of price premiums for organics foods. In comparing the two organic shopper groups with the two conventional shopper groups, it was found that the former were generally more knowledgeable about organic foods. They were also more likely to follow a special diet than conventional Caucasian shoppers. However, the behavior of organic shoppers varied widely. The research supports examining social justice and access as motivations for changing policies to support organic agriculture. Copyright Springer 2006

Keywords: African-American food shoppers; Caucasian food shoppers; Consumer attitudes; Consumer knowledge; Organic food; Wisconsin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-006-9001-9

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