Why do consumers choose organic food? A model based on a review of empirical research

If organic produce is better for the consumer and better for the environment, why are sales still less than 1% in Australia? This was, and still is, the primary research question. Initially it was felt that the reason for the low level of sales might be that the industry was dominated by producers rather than a balance of producers and marketers. However, an extensive literature review identified numerous publications reporting on various aspects of marketing organic produce. The reasons given by consumers for both purchasing and not purchasing organic produce are identified in this literature. However, nowhere were these reasons integrated into a structure that would assist in increasing sales. A model of consumer choice for produce purchases has been developed. Its objective is to understand the factors involved in consumer choice between organic and conventional produce. This model uses market segmentation by frequency of organic produce purchases as a precursor to considering how product attributes influence the choice that consumers make between organic and conventional produce.