More Than Organic: Consumer Expectations of Sustainability and Quality. Evidences from a Qualitative Study in Italy

ABSTRACT

Research shows that the search for healthier foods and concern for sustainability are driving the purchase of organic products. However, consumer expectations for quality attributes and sustainability often go beyond the parameters for organic certification, even after the latest revision (EU Regulation 2018/848). This article aims to explore Italian consumers’ expectations for attributes beyond the current organic certification and to highlight the importance of introducing an additional certification for this added value. Nine focus groups (59 participants) were conducted and analyzed with the Template Analysis approach using Atlas.ti 6.0. Participants expressed expectations beyond current organic certification: i) “for the consumer” (excellent product quality); ii) “for the people and the planet” (ethical aspects of production and distribution); iii) information about organic labels. The development of an “organic plus sustainability certification” seems important: it could allow consumers to make more conscious and ethical purchasing decisions in mature but still changing organic markets such as Italy.

KEYWORDS:

• Organic plus
• sustainable consumer choices
• focus group
• Italian context
• certification

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

Ethical statement

The present research work involved human beings in a data collection process in which participants were required to provide personal data concerning their opinions and habits referred to purchasing behavior, and socio-demographical data. The research procedure was designed to conform to the provisions of the 1995 Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in Edinburgh in 2000), the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the European Data Protection Directive (UE 2016/679). More specifically, data was processed anonymously. The participants volunteered to participate in the research, and they were asked to sign an informed consent form in which they allow the researchers to use the data for scientific purposes. No individuals unable to give informed consent, vulnerable individuals or groups, or patients or minors were involved in the studies. The research project was approved by the Bioethic Committee of the Università degli Studi di Torino (Approval N. 445118).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10454446.2023.2284725

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by EIT Food, European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, project “The development of organic supply chains that drive fair, transparent and healthy options for the consumer” (Grant number: 19041).