Resumen:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is 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: ecological concern; nutritional content; availability of natural products; sensory aspects; certifications, health and confidence; and economic aspects. Resulting clusters were named as: conscious and interested in certification; conscious with no interest in certification; opportunist in transition; unconscious opportunist. There are signs of different consumers. The consumers of these products are characterised by an interaction between hedonic and ethical motivations, where the most important motivation is environmental concern and the least important are the economic aspects. Research limitations/implications – The reduced number of alternative markets in Mexico limits the amplitude of the research. Practical implications – The work herein reported is pioneer and contributes to reduce the lack of studies on the motivations and characteristics of consumers of organic foods in Mexico. Findings may set a path for new research in other cultural contexts; as well as for more specific work in Mexico as of consumers of industrialised organic products. Social implications – Characterising consumers of organic foods will enable the development of these markets. 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 focussed 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.
Descripción:
Since the nineteenth century, and especially after the Second World War, the industrialisation of food production and the so-called “green revolution” caused dietary changes in virtually all countries. The increase in food production and the strategic distribution of processed foods changed the territorial model and broke the bond between food products and the land (Pérez Izquierdo et al., 2012; Montiel and Collado, 2010). The use of agrochemicals brought several benefits such as increased food production and access to cheap food, but it had a negative impact on the environment, which generated discontent and gave rise to a negative social perception of the global food system and agricultural industrialisation (Zanoli et al., 2012; Pinstrup-Andersen, 2011; Krom and Mol, 2010; Montiel and Collado, 2010).
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