Consumer Perceptions towards Organic Food

Food safety, human health and environmental concern along with sensory attributes such as nutritive value, taste, freshness and appearance influence organic food consumer preferences. Demographic variables may define organic consumers but the correlation is not very significant. Consumers also associate organic food with natural process, care for the environment and animal welfare and the non-use of pesticides and fertilisers. Premium price continues to suppress organic food consumption. Understanding the grounds of increasing level of organic food consumption such as motivation are most critical in understanding the potential of the organic food to become a genuinely mainstream market. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies (cE-Bs), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia