The consumer of food products in organic markets of central Mexico

What is it about?

Purpose - The objective of this work was to identify the characteristics of consumers of organic food, based on their motivations. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire based on the Food Choice Questionnaire was applied to a 656 consumers. A multivariate factor analysis and cluster analysis was performed to the data. Findings – Seven factors were identified: i) Ecological Concern; ii) Nutritional content; iii) Availability of natural products; iv) Sensory aspects; v) Certifications, vi) Health and confidence and vii) Economic aspects. Resulting clusters were named as: a) Conscious and interested in certification; b) Conscious with no interest in certification; c) Opportunist in transition; d) Unconscious opportunist. There are signs of different consumers. The consumers of these products are characterized by an interaction between hedonic and ethical motivations, where the most important motivation is environmental concern and the least important are the economic aspects. Originality/value - Social studies of eating habits have taken place in European countries; and several works have been developed in other areas of the world to determine the way in which consumers build their preferences and food choice patterns. In Mexico, specifically in organic foods, studies have focused in agrarian economics, but the analysis of motivations for choice has not been addressed. Therefore, it is important to research this issue given the relevance for consumers.

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