A comparison of organic and conventional fresh produce buyers in the Boston area

Food safety concerns and the demand for organically grown produce have incr eased significantly in the United States over the last decade. Key differen ces in lifestyle characteristics, food safety attitudes and beliefs, percei ved food safety risks, and valuation of health risk reductions between orga nic and conventional food buyers remain largely unknown, however. To better characterize how buyers of organic fresh produce differ from their convent ional counterparts, over 700 food shoppers were sampled from ten major reta il stores in the Boston area. Survey results show that self-reported organi c buyers are more likely than conventional buyers to engage in a variety of health-promoting and environmentally friendly behaviors. Organic buyers ar e less trusting of federal food safety agencies than are conventional buyer s, and perceive greater benefits associated with organically grown produce than do their conventional counterparts. Further, organic buyers have signi ficantly higher risk perceptions than do conventional buyers for food safet y hazards associated with conventionally grown produce. Compared to convent ional buyers, organic produce buyers also perceive significant risk reducti ons associated with switching to organically grown produce and are willing to pay a higher price to reduce perceived food safety risks. Few sociodemog raphic differences between buyer types were observed, possibly due to how o rganic and conventional food stores were matched. Survey findings highlight the need for greater public education about a range of food safety issues and farming practices to ensure that consumers are making informed decision s in the marketplace.