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Organic food consumption is growing, increasing the need for studies investigating the importance of organic certification labels in emerging countries. The research aims to identify the influence of certification labels and fresh organic produce categories (greenery, vegetable or fruit) on consumer trust and purchase intention.

An online experimental survey 3 × 3 was administered among 349 Brazilian consumers. Certification label and fresh organic produce category were designated as independent variables and manipulated to explore consumer trust and purchase intention. The authors performed a multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) to analyze the data.

Results show that the certification label does not directly affect the dependent variables. It acts as a moderator and indirectly affects both consumer trust and purchase intention. Moreover, depending on the fresh organic produce category considered (greenery, vegetable or fruit), consumer trust changes. Sociodemographic characteristics, age and household income are also important. Finally, the greater the purchase frequency (the main predictor of the model), the greater the purchase intention and consumer trust.

The study contributes to deepen and expand studies involving organic food and to pave the way for future studies that aim to investigate the importance of certification labels of organic foods for consumers.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of organic food certification labels of different third-party verification institutions on consumers' choice of organic food in terms of willingness-to-pay (WTP) using cue utilization theory.

The study conducted an experiment in which organic rice and organic certification labels were presented to 360 valid participants.

With different organic rice labels issued by various third-party verification institutions, including (1) foundations, (2) associations, (3) university certification centers and (4) private businesses, results indicate that consumers had different preferences and WTP for certain labels. The institutions preferred organic food labels issued by non-profit organizations. In addition, consumers showed different WTP as a result of different purchase motivations (e.g. health vs environmental protection).

These results imply that consumers might not have confidence in the organic labels issued by associations and private institutions. Therefore, different types of certification institutions can have significantly different impacts on consumers' WTP. The study further proposes that the extrinsic attributes of food products (i.e. the cues used in making a purchase decision) must be incongruent with the image of third-party certification institutions in order to develop more efficient communication of product information and to encourage consumers to give positive comments regarding organic food.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss characteristics of organic food value chain governance and policy tools that can increase the supply of good quality of agri-products.

This paper discusses a national organic food supply system in China, identifying the link between an organization form with a social confidence crisis and information asymmetry as the main challenges. It develops an analytical model of the market structure of organic certification based on the contract theory, which considers the certification incentive driven by both farmers and processors. Two cases of raw milk producers and processors provide empirical data.

The argument which is brought forward is that product information asymmetry together with strict requirement for ensuring organic food integrity brings the organic milk value chain into a highly integrated organization pattern. A tight value chain is effective in the governance of organic food supply chain under third party certification (TPC), while a loose value chain discourages producing organic products because of transaction costs. TPC is found to be a positively correlation with a tight value chain, but it brings high organizational cost and it raises cost for consumers.

This is the first paper discussing the governance of organic food value chain in Chinese milk industry.

Unlike some developed countries, Chinese food safety certification system is multi-level including organic/green/hazard-free certifications. The purpose of this paper is to assess consumers’ preferences for tomatoes carrying these different labels.

Data used in this study came from choice experiments (CEs) conducted in Shandong province, China. Based on experiment data, a random parameter logit model was established to analyze consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP).

Consumers’ WTP for organic tomatoes was higher than that for hazard-free and green-certified tomatoes. Furthermore, consumers’ WTP for the European Union (EU) organic label was higher than that for the Chinese organic label, whereas a non-significant difference existed between the levels of consumers’ WTP for hazard-free and green-certified tomatoes. Consumers with different food safety risk perception (FSRP) had large differences in WTP, whereas those with varying environmental awareness (ENAW) had similar levels of WTP.

This contribution is the first research which focuses on consumers’ WTP for EU organic label, Chinese organic label, green label, or hazard-free label on tomato through CEs in China. Furthermore, the influence of consumers’ FSRP and ENAW on their preference was analyzed through a random parameter logit model.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of consumers of organic food, based on their motivations.

A questionnaire based on the Food Choice Questionnaire was applied to a 656 consumers. A multivariate factor analysis and cluster analysis was performed to the data.

Seven factors were identified: ecological concern; nutritional content; availability of natural products; sensory aspects; certifications, health and confidence; and economic aspects. Resulting clusters were named as: conscious and interested in certification; conscious with no interest in certification; opportunist in transition; unconscious opportunist. There are signs of different consumers. The consumers of these products are characterised by an interaction between hedonic and ethical motivations, where the most important motivation is environmental concern and the least important are the economic aspects.

The reduced number of alternative markets in Mexico limits the amplitude of the research.

The work herein reported is pioneer and contributes to reduce the lack of studies on the motivations and characteristics of consumers of organic foods in Mexico. Findings may set a path for new research in other cultural contexts; as well as for more specific work in Mexico as of consumers of industrialised organic products.

Characterising consumers of organic foods will enable the development of these markets.

Social studies of eating habits have taken place in European countries; and several works have been developed in other areas of the world to determine the way in which consumers build their preferences and food choice patterns. In Mexico, specifically in organic foods, studies have focussed in agrarian economics, but the analysis of motivations for choice has not been addressed. Therefore, it is important to research this issue given the relevance for consumers.

This paper aims to chart the breadth and acceleration of organic markets domestic and international and discuss the obstacles and possible ways that confront enterprises who engage in organic exports from and imports to China.

There is much extant research that investigates the organic certification and its market development in the developed world. However, little emphasis is given to China, the highest growing organic market. This research aims to narrow this gap in the literature by reviewing organic certification and the market in China.

China's organic products are mainly exported to developed countries, but the growing affluence of Chinese consumers and expanding foreign expatriate community in China is developing a domestic market for organic food. Organic products are increasingly being imported. Organic standards and certification system in China have been established and under the implementation, with all stages of the organic marketing chain regulated by law and guaranteed. The lack of an equivalent or compliant system forces Chinese organic exports to enter the international market through multi‐certification, and foreign organic imports to the China market possibly through certification by a CNAS‐ACB.

This paper provides a unique insight into a wide range of China organic certification systems and the mechanism for organic exports from and imports to China.

Organic certification system became important means to restore consumer confidence in China. The purpose of this paper is to focus on consumer trust in organic milk of different brands and its influencing factors.

The data were collected from 876 randomly selected consumers in Shandong Province, China. And an ordered logistic model was established to analyze influencing factors of consumer trust.

Chinese consumers generally lack trust in organic milk. Consumer trust for different brands of organic milk was different, and was not high in general. Various factors, namely, age, education years, food safety awareness, evaluation of government regulation policy, evaluation of organic milk price, and purchase convenience, have a significant impact on consumer trust. Factors, such as income, environmental protection consciousness, and risk consciousness, are not significant.

This research is of academic value and of value to policy makers and suppliers. Government should promote institutional arrangement and strengthening supervision in production, certification, and circulation of organic products. Organic suppliers should implement reliable marketing strategy, such as correct pricing, and build a more extensive and convenient distribution network.

The purpose of this paper is to determine consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for tomatoes carrying different organic labels.

The data were collected from 878 randomly selected consumers in Shandong Province, China, using the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auction experiment. The authors used the multivariate probit (MVP) model to analyze the factors influencing consumer preferences.

Results indicated that consumers’ WTP for tomatoes carrying the European Union (EU) organic label was significantly higher than those carrying the Chinese organic label. However, no significant difference was found between consumers’ WTP for tomatoes carrying the EU organic label and that for tomatoes carrying both Chinese and EU labels. The results of the MVP model analysis demonstrated that the consumers with different individual characteristics had heterogeneous preferences for organic labels. Food safety consciousness and organic knowledge both had positive effects on consumers’ WTP, meanwhile, environmental awareness had no prominent effect on consumer preferences.

This research is of academic value and of value to policy makers and suppliers. To satisfy diverse market requirements, governments, and manufacturers should consider consumer preferences for different certification labels in strategy development.

Ecolabels will undoubtedly play a central role in promoting more sustainable production methods and consumption behaviors. Although numerous recent studies have explored consumer awareness, interpretation and preferences toward ecolabels and certifications, little is yet known about how they perceive the regulatory schemes that underpin them.

Data were collected using a survey answered by a representative random sample of 1,032 Canadian consumers. Unconstrained partial-proportional odds models were used to perform statistical analyses.

The results suggest that consumers generally do not differentiate between regulatory schemes for organic, local and non-GMO products. The level of perceived control and strictness appears to be influenced by multiple variables involving risk perception, trust and motivations, although this influence varies across labels.

In addition to geographical specificities, this survey includes self-reported variables that might be subject to desirability biases and intention variables which do not necessarily predict behavior. Finally, this study does not consider interaction effects, since claims and ecolabels have not been studied in relation to specific products.

These misperceptions about ecolabels' regulatory schemes could be addressed through better communication about schemes and certifications, although the authors agree that information alone would not be enough to deal with the trust issue suggested by the results. Deliberative and behavioral approaches might be more efficient to embed consumers' values, perceptions and concerns related to food labeling and certifications into the policymaking process.

This work explores the role played by risk perceptions, trust, egoistic and altruistic motives, and the importance of third-party certifications in the consumer's understanding of ecolabels' regulatory schemes.

Substantial changes in the organic food sector and recent studies on the Canadian organic food market are showing promising trends. However, community organic food markets are different from organic food mainstream markets. In a domain growing in theoretical and practical importance, the main objective of this paper is to develop an understanding and analysis of “community organic food market”.

Focus groups were conducted and data collected were analyzed using content analysis.

Five main themes emerged and brought contributions in terms of: organic food definition and recognition, organic food consumers' motivations, trust with regard to organic food, labeling and certification process, organic food distribution channels, and the proposition of a conceptual model of decision making with regard to organic food consumers in small communities.

Data collection was conducted in only one small community location and should be extended to other small communities as well as urban city centers.

This study provides some insights to managers in terms of the market mix and target marketing of organic food niche markets.

The paper explores the difference between an organic food mainstream market and an organic food niche/community market using a consumer behaviour perspective.