Current State Of The Art Of Legislation And Marketing Trends Of Organic Foods Worldwide

The growth of and interest in organic agriculture has emerged due to various problems encountered (health problems owing to pesticides, hormones, environmental problems brought on by to pesticides, decreasing biodiversity, threatened food security) which researchers hope to solve. Regulation EEC 2092/91 provided the organic farming sector with a means of asserting its special character and giving the credibility it required to take its place on the market for foodstuffs. Labelling and advertising of a food product may bear indications referring to organic production methods in the sales description only where at least 95% of the ingredients of agricultural origin are organic. Products with an organic content of 70% to 95% may bear indications referring to organic production methods only in the list of ingredients but not in the sales description.Regarding the socio-demographic profile of the organic product buyers, most studies agree that it is mainly women, who buy larger quantities and more frequently than men. Slight differences between gender groups are observed as regards their willingness to pay. The age factor does not seem to play an important role either, with the younger seeming slightly more willing to buy (more and expensive) due to their greater environmental consciousness. This willingness, however, does not translate into demand due to their lower purchasing power. On the other hand, the presence of children in the family seems to play an important role, positively influencing organic purchase. Despite high price premiums for organic food, higher household incomes do not necessarily indicate higher likelihood of organic purchases. Some lower income segments seem to be more entrenched buyers. Although there is conflicting evidence, those who are more likely to buy organic generally are female, in younger age groups, with higher levels of education and income, or families with children.