Consumer Purchasing Behavior and Attitudes towards Locally-Grown and Certified Organic Food Products in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Four separate Internet surveys (Nov. 2008 to Mar. 2010) were constructed to study purchasing behavior and attitudes towards local and organic products of consumers living in five major cities of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Examined purchasing behavior and attitudes included what types of foods consumers ate, how and where produce was purchased, and what influenced purchasing decisions. Other factors examined include consumer knowledge of what types of produce can be grown in the Mid-Atlantic region, and the seasonality of these types of produce. Total number of consumers who participated in each survey ranged between 1,500 and 1,700. Significant differences were observed between most demographic groups in types of food purchased (e.g., local, organic, conventionally-grown), from where products were purchased (e.g., supermarkets vs. farmers markets), opinions towards locally-grown and certified-organic products (e.g., participants' definition of local and organic), and knowledge of produce origin and seasonality (e.g., what produce can be grown locally, when it can be harvested and available for sale). Among the results examined, differences existed pertaining to what retailers male and female participants reported purchasing food and snacks, with a significantly greater percentage of females (36.4%) reported shopping at farmers markets/on-farm markets/CSAs, versus only 30.4% of males reporting the same (p = .048). In addition, the majority of participants reported believing “locally-grown” was defined as “grown in the areas around their metro area” (33.2% of participants) or “grown in their state” (25.7%), and in terms of mileage, the majority of participants selected “26-50 miles” (25.5%) or “51-100 miles” (19.5%). Most participants defined “certified-organic” as “natural” (73.9%), “grown without the use of pesticides” (72.4%), and/or “grown without the use of chemicals” (75.3%). Additionally, when presented with a choice (Option 1: Not Local and Organic, Option 2: Local and Not Organic), the majority of participants preferred locally-grown produce (64.7%) over certified-organic (26.5%). Research implications are to report on these consumer trends to produce industry members in order to determine what types of products should be offered to what types of consumers, how to attract consumers to these products, and to assist agricultural extension personnel in developing public educational programs.