Exploring the social value of organic food: a qualitative study in France

Sandrine Costa (), Lydia Zepeda and Lucie Sirieix
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Sandrine Costa: UMR MOISA - Marchés, Organisations, Institutions et Stratégies d'Acteurs - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - Montpellier SupAgro - Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques - CIHEAM-IAMM - Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier - CIHEAM - Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier
Lydia Zepeda: Consumer Science Department, School of Human Ecology - University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Abstract: he purpose of this paper is to investigate whether organic foods are used to signal social identity, class or status, i.e. if they have social value. Our analysis is based on two sociological approaches: Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction and symbolic interactionism. This paper analyses three research questions: (1) does organic food have social symbolism?; (2) does the social value of organic food depend on the venue where it is obtained?; (3) are other symbols associated with the social value of organic food? To answer these questions, we gather qualitative data from organic food shoppers' perceptions of the social value of organic food, using a qualitative study, with four group interviews in Montpellier (France) with a total of 20 participants. Results indicate that organic food has a social value for the participants in our group interviews. This social value depends on the venue (community-supported agriculture, market or supermarket) where organic foods are purchased and also on whether consumers or producers exhibit additional green behaviours to validate their commitment to sustainability. Our results imply that a quantitative study on social value of organic food would be useful to investigate these findings in a larger sample since these findings have several marketing and advertising implications.

Keywords: organic food; status; symbolic interactionism; sociologie; alimentation biologique; human feeding; alimentation humaine; agriculture biologique; marketing; comportement des consommateurs; pierre bourdieu (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Published in International Journal of Consumer Studies, 2014, 38 (3), pp.228-237. ⟨10.1111/ijcs.12100⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01506305

DOI: 10.1111/ijcs.12100

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