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Thaise de Oliveira Faoro D, Artuzo FD, Rossi Borges JA, Foguesatto CR, Dewes H, Talamini E. Are organics more nutritious than conventional foods? A comprehensive systematic review. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28288. [PMID: 38571600 PMCID: PMC10987935 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The growing consumer interest fueled by the belief in the superiority of organic foods raises questions about their actual nutritional superiority over conventional ones. This assumption remains a controversial issue. The present study addresses scientific evidence to clarify this controversy and provide relevant insights for informed decision-making regarding dietary choices. We collected 147 scientific articles containing 656 comparative analyses based on 1779 samples of 68 vegetable, fruit, and other (cereals, pulses, etc.) foods, 22 nutritional properties, and nine residues. Results show that in 191 (29.1%) comparisons, there were significant differences between organic and conventional foods. In a similar quantity of cases (190; 29.0%), there were divergences in the results since some studies reported significant differences while others did not. Finally, most of the comparative analyses (275; 41.9%) showed no significant difference between organic and conventional foods. Therefore, the results herein show no generalizable superiority of organic over conventional foods. Claims for nutritious advantages would eventually be applied to specific comparisons, depending on the food type and nutritional parameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiane Thaise de Oliveira Faoro
- Interdisciplinary Center for Studies and Research in Agribusiness – CEPAN, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Brazil
| | - Felipe Dalzotto Artuzo
- Brazilian Institute of Bioeconomy – INBBIO. Bioeconomics Applied to Agribusiness Research Group. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Brazil
| | | | | | - Homero Dewes
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Biophysics, and Interdisciplinary Center for Studies and Research in Agribusiness – CEPAN, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Brazil
| | - Edson Talamini
- Department of Economics and International Relations – DERI, Faculty of Economics – FCE, and Bioeconomics Applied to Agribusiness Research Group, Interdisciplinary Center for Studies and Research in Agribusiness – CEPAN, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Brazil
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Brata AM, Chereji AI, Brata VD, Morna AA, Tirpe OP, Popa A, Arion FH, Banszki LI, Chereji I, Popa D, Muresan IC. Consumers' Perception towards Organic Products before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in Bihor County, Romania. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph191912712. [PMID: 36232012 PMCID: PMC9566808 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Organic products have grown ever more popular in recent years due to increased concerns regarding one's health, the environment, and sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this growth, prompting producers to adapt to a rapidly growing market while maintaining the same standard of quality. We have conducted a questionnaire-based pilot study on 190 organic food consumers from Bihor county, Romania, in order to analyze the main factors influencing customers' beliefs regarding organic food consumption, as well as assess the extent to which their consumption frequency changed after the pandemic. A principal component analysis was performed, dividing the factors into two categories referring to intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of the products, respectively. It was noticed that the most important cues were ranked the same by our 190 respondents, regardless of their socio-demographical background. At the same time, people who consumed organic products more frequently before the pandemic have either maintained or increased their consumption, while more indifferent consumers maintained or decreased the proportion of organic foods in their diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Monica Brata
- Department of Engineering of Food Products, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Aurelia Ioana Chereji
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Agritourism, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
- Correspondence: (A.I.C.); (V.D.B.)
| | - Vlad Dumitru Brata
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400000 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Correspondence: (A.I.C.); (V.D.B.)
| | - Anamaria Aurelia Morna
- Department of Engineering of Food Products, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Olivia Paula Tirpe
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Agritourism, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Anca Popa
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Agritourism, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Felix H. Arion
- Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | - Ioan Chereji
- Department of Animal Husbandry and Agritourism, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Dorin Popa
- Department of Engineering of Food Products, Faculty of Environmental Protection, University of Oradea, 26 Gen. Magheru St., 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Iulia C. Muresan
- Department of Economic Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Manastur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Liang S, Qin L, Zhang M, Chu Y, Teng L, He L. Win Big with Small: The Influence of Organic Food Packaging Size on Purchase Intention. Foods 2022; 11:foods11162494. [PMID: 36010494 PMCID: PMC9407136 DOI: 10.3390/foods11162494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
People pay much attention to food and health issues, more so these days. Organic food brings its own “organic” aura as soon as it is produced. Despite the many studies on organic food packaging at present, they mainly focus on packaging design, materials, and colors and pay less attention to packaging size. In view of this gap in the literature, this study explores the influence of organic food packaging size on consumer purchase intention. This article conducted two experiments with 755 participants to examine the effect of organic food packaging size on purchase intention. The results show that the packaging size of organic food has a significant influence on consumer purchase intention. Specifically, the small size of organic food packaging (vs. large) can improve consumer purchase intention, and the green perceived value plays an intermediary role (Study 1). In addition, the consumers’ construal level moderates the influence of organic food packaging size on their purchase intention. For consumers with a high construal level, the small size of organic food packaging (vs. large) can improve their purchase intention. For consumers with a low construal level, large packaging size (vs. small) of organic food can improve their purchase intention (Study 2). This study reveals the psychological mechanism and boundary conditions of organic food packaging size on consumer purchase intention and provides practical enlightenment for enterprises in formulating the size of organic food packaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shichang Liang
- School of Business, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
- Correspondence:
| | - Ling Qin
- School of Business, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Min Zhang
- School of Business, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yuxuan Chu
- School of Business, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Lili Teng
- School of Business, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
- Financial Research Center, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Lingling He
- College of Economic and Management, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China
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How Collectivism Affects Organic Food Purchase Intention and Behavior: A Study with Norwegian and Portuguese Young Consumers. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14127361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Organic food purchase behavior is attracting increasing attention from researchers and managers. However, there is a need to further explore differences among groups of consumers, namely with regards to cultural dimensions. To help fill this gap, this article aims to examine the impact of collectivism on the determinants of organic food purchase intention and behavior. Building on the theory of planned behavior, this article suggests its extension by considering an additional set of explanatory variables that are shown to be relevant to explain consumer behavior. It includes a quantitative study conducted with young consumers from two European countries, Norway (n = 468) and Portugal (n = 448). Structural equation modelling allowed to conclude that collectivism positively impacts attitude, subjective norm, perceived price, and environmental concern towards organic food. The expected positive impacts of collectivism on product availability and health concerns were not supported by the study. Furthermore, the positive impact of attitude, subjective norm, perceived price, health consciousness, and environmental concerns on intention to purchase organic food were also confirmed, even though availability had an insignificant impact on intentions. Finally, and aligned with extant literature, this study also found a positive impact of intention to purchase behavior on organic food. Interestingly, the positive relationship between Collectivism and Availability, and between Availability and Purchase Intention, was only significant for Portugal. The study confirms the relevance of considering cultural dimensions, particularly collectivism/individualism, to further understand consumer behaviors toward organic food. Based on the findings, implications for both managers and researchers are highlighted.
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