Health vs. Environmental Motivation in Organic Preferences and Purchases

Economic analyses generally incorporate environmental motivations in examining the factors that determine whether consumers will buy organic and ecolabeled foods, but have not typically considered health and wellness motivations. Market research studies, using both focus groups and surveys, have found that many consumers believe that organic foods are healthier to eat, and have segmented consumers using health and wellness concerns as a factor associated with organic buying behavior. These findings have been widely interpreted in the press as indicating that health and wellness concerns are a primary motivator for buying organic. This study compares the impact of these motivators, as well as demographic and economic factors, in determining how dedicated a consumer is to organic buying as measured by whether more than 50 percent of the consumer's produce purchases are organic. The buying level results are compared to a model of stated preferences.