Organic Food Demand: A Focus Group Study Involving Caucasian and African-American Shoppers

A focus group study using four groups of food shoppers provides insights into consumers’ knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding organic foods. Two focus groups consisted of shoppers who regularly bought organic foods and two focus groups of shoppers who predominantly purchased conventional foods. Participants in one of the conventional groups were all Caucasian; in the other they were all African-American. While familiarity with organic foods was much lower in the African-American group, its members were more receptive and positive towards organic foods. Likewise, the African-American shoppers were more accepting of price premiums for organics foods. In comparing the two organic shopper groups with the two conventional shopper groups, it was found that the former were generally more knowledgeable about organic foods. They were also more likely to follow a special diet than conventional Caucasian shoppers. However, the behavior of organic shoppers varied widely. The research supports examining social justice and access as motivations for changing policies to support organic agriculture. Lydia Zepeda is a Professor of Consumer Science at University of Wisconsin and Senior Fellow of the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy. Her research focuses on agricultural technology adoption, farm household decision making, and consumer perceptions and behavior towards agricultural technology and food. Hui-Shung Chang is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Economics at the University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. Her research focuses on demand analysis and agribusiness marketing. Catherine Leviten-Reid is a research assistant and graduate student in the Department of Consumer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is interested in household behavior and sustainable community development.