BUYING ORGANIC FOOD. THE CASE OF SPAIN.
(A2023-114476)

AUTHORS

Pedro Mata, ESIC Business & Marketing School; Tamar Buil, ESIC Business & Marketing School

ABSTRACT

Special labels are designed to show the organic nature of certain food products. These labels help promoting the consumption of such products and allow consumers to make their sustainable choices. However, these labels are sometimes different and unknown to part of the potential market. Moreover, organic product purchase intention is contingent upon the country of the consumer. Consequently, we have conducted research consistent of 620 surveys to a sample of Spanish consumers to investigate certain consumption and purchase patterns in organic food market context. Our results yielded very interesting information on consumer knowledge about the labeling of organic products, the spending on said products, and the frequency of purchase according to product categories. In this sense, we can affirm that 65% of the Spanish population affirms that they buy organic products at least once a month. Vegetables and fruits are the most frequently purchased item and regarding monthly spending, significant differences have been found between age groups. We conclude with some managerial decisions for retailers as well as further research. D