Profile and Behavior of Organic Products Consumer in Brazil

Abstract

Organic agriculture simply way can be understood as a model of food production management that reconciles good environmental practices in farming, aiming at maintaining a high level of biodiversity, preserving natural resources in order to obtain healthy food without residual chemicals. In this context, demanding for quality of life, a large number of consumers are modifying their consumption habits by inserting organic foods into their daily lives. However, there are few studies that reveal the profile and behavior of organic products consumer and in particular which factors may favor the expansion of the consumption of this type of food. Thus, in order to answer to these gaps in the retail market, a descriptive exploratory survey was conducted from June to August 2017 with 138 consumers, at the time they made the purchase of organic products. The study showed that the consumption of organic products in the sampling performed presented similar levels between the genders, as well as did not show variation in the consumption in relation to the age group. The organic products most preferred by consumers were tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce. The factors that limited consumption were the price that was classified as high, the difficulty of easily finding the desired product and the lack of promotions. The study also revealed that the factors that influenced the consumer behavior of organic products were the level of education, as they advanced in education, the consumption also advanced, as well as the consumer behavior of the family arrangement, and it was observed that as the number of people and economic income increased, the consumption of these products also increased. The adoption strategies shared between the retail trade that involve the adjustment of prices of organic products to the reality of consumers, the purchase of local production as a way of price reducing, and educational marketing campaigns can favor the commerce of organic products in the classes of lower purchasing power.