Title: Consumer decision-making on organic products
Acronym: CONDOR
Contract No: QLK1-2002-02446
Starting Date: January 2003
Duration: 3 years
Funding Source: European Union
Project Coordinator: Prof Richard Shepherd
EU Scientific Officer: Dr Rosanna D'Amario

Summary:

The market for organically produced foods remains relatively small. If it is to increase then there needs to be a systematic and scientific examination of the consumer decision-making processes involved in the choice between organic and non-organic foods.

This project brings together a mutidisciplinary team across eight EU member states to examine this topic. It combines the development of methods for the segmentation of consumers based upon values and the elicitation of affective (emotional) associations and moral concerns. It involves the development of a theoretically based consumer decision-making model and the testing of this model in eight EU member states and in identified consumer segments.

It will provide information on the role played by values and by affective associations and moral concerns in consumer decision-making on organic foods and provide novel insights into the marketing of organic foods in the future.

Objectives:

• To provide a basic understanding of the processes involved in consumer decision-making on the purchase and consumption of processed and fresh organic foods.
• To model consumer choice of organic foods based on attitudes, values, affective and moral concerns over eight EU member states.

Deliverables:

• Novel methods for uncovering emotional and moral concerns which might influence the choice of organic foods
• Methods for segmenting consumers based on their values
• Databases of consumer attitudes, values, emotional and moral concerns in relation to organic foods.
• An understanding of cross-European differences in the impact of emotional and moral influences on the choice of organic foods.
• Dissemination to stakeholders, including industry, consumer groups and NGOs, via a website and through brochures and workshops targeted at particular stakeholder groups.
• A synthesis of the implications for the European marketing of organic foods.