Stela Cazacu

What Motivates Greek Consumers to Buy Organic Food?: an Investigation into the Motives of Residents of Thessaloniki Stela Cazacu

Interest in organic farming and food has increased tremendously as consumers and marketers respond to coverage in the media about health and environmental impacts of pesticides, genetically-modified organisms, and food safety. Consumption of organic food in Greece is very low and, at the same time, it is increasing at a fast rate. Thus, in the present book, an attempt was made to identify the motivations behind the purchasing of organic food among the Greek residents of Thessaloniki. The study adopted a quantitative approach. Results show that Greeks from Thessaloniki buy organic food, mainly because of health consciousness, ethical self-identity and food safety concerns. However, some of the consumers cannot overcome certain obstacles in purchasing organic food, such as high prices, poor availability and confused labels. The value of this study is that it can offer food marketers from Thessaloniki a direction to enhance strategies for marketing organic products. By knowing the reasons behind the purchasing of organic food, marketers of organic food can establish a better communication message with consumers.