Consumer Awareness And Actual Buying Behaviour Of Organic Food In Algeria

Résumé: Introduction. The awareness of the adverse effects of the chemicals misuse applied in food production is continuously increasing among consumers. In parallel, there is a rising trend in purchasing organically grown foods. Objective. This study aimed to evaluate Algerian consumers’ awareness and attitudes toward organic food products and identifying the factors that influence their decision to purchase these organically grown foods. Materials and methods. Survey data were obtained from 429 Algerian consumers via a 32-scale structured questionnaire and evaluated with SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 25.0 using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM). The hypotheses were verified by evaluating data via SEM, where the mediating variables were attitude and purchasing intention. Results. The analysis showed that the main reasons for Algerian consumers to consume organic food were health concerns followed by environmentally friendly, pesticide-free and better taste. Moreover, three factors namely health consciousness, subjective norms and perception of availability were revealed to influence consumer buying behaviour towards organic food products. This occurred either by a direct effect such as perception of availability or by a partial mediation of purchase intention like subjective norms or by full mediating of attitude toward organic food and purchase intention as the health consciousness factor did. Conclusion. The present study can also guide and help agricultural policymakers to promote shifting to organic farming, which would benefit the ecosystem and human wellbeing. Furthermore, the report provides clear guidance for industry professionals, who need to develop successful marketing strategies by addressing the main motivators of organic food consumption.

Publié dans la revue: Nutrition & Santé