Organic Food Quality & Safety Perception

Many more consumers have tried at least once organic food, but despite higher consumer awareness, they still show a great concern about food quality and safety. Recent research showed that there is still little knowledge of how organic products are produced and processed and which characteristics are fundamental for the consumer with regard to quality and safety. In this scenario, primary producers, processors and other stakeholders in the organic supplychain have the difficult task of understanding consumers’ complex and sometimes contradictory wishes with regard to organic food. The aim of this study is to examine food quality and safety issues related to buying organic products. To provide better insight on the safety and quality issues in a cross cultural setting, the linkages among consumer’s personal values – as final expression of consumer product knowledge are analysed, by means of laddering data on 8 EU countries.