Title: Attitude and behaviour of consumers towards organic food: an exploratory study in India

Authors: Saloni Mehra; P.A. Ratna

Addresses: Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management, Plot No. A 23, Shravan Sector, CIDCO, New Nashik 422008, India ' Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management, Plot No. A 23, Shravan Sector, CIDCO, New Nashik 422008, India

Abstract: The organic food sector is growing significantly and surmounted growth is being witnessed from tier 1 and tier 2 cities in India, indicating huge acceptance among the masses. The study provides insights into identifying the factors influencing the attitude and behaviour of consumers for organic food, which is currently gaining momentum in tier 2 cities in India. Six significant factors were found to influence the attitude towards organic food. They were perception towards organic food, health consciousness, product information, value for money, accessibility and trust. The demographic factors seemed to affect the attitude towards organic food, while they did not explain the actual buying behaviour. The paper attempts to provide evidence on the relatively under-researched area of attitude and behaviour towards organic food in the growing cities in India.

Keywords: organic foods; health consciousness; consumer attitudes; consumer behaviour; value for money; product information; India; healthy eating; organic food sector; perceptions; accessibility; consumer trust; demography; demographic factors; buying behaviour; cities; urban areas.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2014.065503

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2014 Vol.7 No.6, pp.677 - 699

Published online: 31 Oct 2014 *

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