New Zealand’s organic producers are still struggling to gain consumer awareness and organic market research is way behind industry growth, a New Zealand university has found.

Researchers found that despite the rapid increase in demand for organic food, consumers are confused about labels and official marks of certification. A lack of market intelligence about consumer knowledge and attitudes to organic food, and its high price, are also barriers to shoppers.

The country’s three well-established logos that show organic food has been produced according to internationally recognised standards come from BioGro, AgriQuality and Demeter.

However, a ‘muddy picture’ of the market is causing concern for producers and their certifiers, commerce lecturer Dr Andrew Murphy told the university, after he did a survey of 100 consumers.

“We know very little of consumer awareness of organic food properties that may differentiate the organic from the conventional, such as the absence of pesticides, fertilisers and preservatives,” he said.

Murphy interviewed shoppers at supermarkets and weekend markets in Auckland, ‘where organic produce is typically available’.

Initial findings showed that consumers had little knowledge of certification systems and labels, and only 21 percent could name a certifying organisation. However, once prompted with a range of labels, respondents showed high recognition of the country’s largest organic certifiers.

When questioned about their reasons for eating organic food, consumers gave top priority to personal benefits, including direct health benefits, and avoiding genetically modified foods.

94 percent said they found high prices a barrier to purchase, whilst 30 percent found seasonal availability a disincentive, and 23 percent said that because the appearance of the produce was not as uniform, they preferred non-organic.

Murphy has concluded that his study shows a pressing need for much more research on the organic market and consumer perceptions.

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