THE EFFECTS OF ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION, MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION METHODS ON CONSUMER RESPONSES: A CASE STUDY FROM SOUTH WEST DEVON, UK

This thesis has hypothesized that increasing organic food production and sales in the United Kingdom would depend on producers and retailers initially adapting their organic food marketing and distribution to meet the price and convenience expectations of consumers, rather than simply expecting an increase in consumer demands. It also argues that if the hypothesis is verified and if consumers perceive organic food to have more virtues in terms of health, nutrition and environmental friendliness than more conventional “chemically sprayed” food, then the production of this type of food should be encouraged by both the European Union and the government, especially if both yields and revenue can compete with conventional methods of food production. A questionnaire survey was carried out over different locations within the county of Devon, United Kingdom, because according to DEFRA, this is the county that produces the most organic food within the country. Therefore it represented an ideal testing area to see if any initial strong consumer demand for organic food existed. 103 respondents took part in the survey, and were divided on income, age and gender differences, as it was also hypothesised that there would be no significant differences in perception from these groups. It was initially found that 95% of participants were not willing to increase their budget by even 5% to purchase organic food, and that convenience and price represented the two most important factors for consumers when purchasing food in general. It was also found that over 96% of respondents would buy organic food if these were more widely available, at convenient locations and at competitive prices. This represents a very important potential market for food producers and retailers. It was therefore advised that the concerned parties evolve their distribution and marketing methods and that policy-makers encourage these changes, in order to better target potential customers.Faculty of Scienc