great lakes dairy sheep symposium - the Department of Animal ...

mainstream citizens who are similar to most U.S. consumers in the majority of their attitudes,
beliefs, behaviors, and purchase patterns. The ethnicities of organic consumers are also similar to
the overall U.S. population's ethnic makeup.” 5
The article goes on to note, however, that organic consumers are a special group in one
important way. Their education level is considerably higher than that of most Americans.
The percentage of college and post-college graduates among organic consumers is nearly
fifty percent higher than that of the U.S. population. The article concludes “this leads to the
fact that they read and understand labels. Organic consumers possess knowledge about
ingredients, both the good stuff and the bad stuff, far deeper than most U.S. consumers.”
Why Buy Organic?
The Canadian review again states that “Roughly two-thirds of the population in most
countries believe that organic food is safer and healthier and about the same proportion are
willing to pay a ten percent premium for it. Consumer perception is that organic production
practices address many of their health and safety concerns.” 6
According to a national consumer opinion poll conducted by Roper Public Affairs, seven in
ten Americans express some concerns about the health risks of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics
and other chemicals used in food production. The survey found consumers felt smaller scale
family farms were more likely to care about food safety than large-scale industrial farms, and
that it was important to know whether food is grown or produced locally or regionally.
An article published in The Gourmet Retailer summarizes the motivations of the typical
organic consumer:
“Following are four basic reasons in order of importance why consumers buy organic foods:
- Taste. Organic foods are chosen because they have strong positive taste associations.
Consumers associate the taste of organic with simple, understandable benefits, such as freshness,
purity, wholesomeness, less processed, etc. Organic food is seen as "the way nature intended," or
"the way it should be," along with the belief that nature intended food to be delicious, as well as
nutritious.
- Health. Organic consumers seek to have better personal health over a longer period.
- Safety. As a pathway to health, organic consumers think about food safety as it relates to purity.
They are concerned about their food containing pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other
chemicals. They seek foods they perceive to be more "pure" and less "tainted." Such concern is
heightened for parents and other primary purchasers buying food for their families.
- Environment. Organic consumers are generally concerned about the environment. They also
have an "action orientation," a belief that food dollars can be directed to enact positive change.” 7
Studying the qualities listed above, it is clear that the average organic consumer would be a
perfect candidate to choose an organic sheep milk product. Sheep milk produces excellent tasting
5
Merchandising Organic Products, By Clark F. Driftmier, The Gourmet Retailer, May 2001
6
A Profile of the Organic Industry and Its Issues, Rosalie Cunningham and Betty Vladicka, Government of
Alberta, Canada, 2002.
7
Merchandising Organic Products, By Clark F. Driftmier, The Gourmet Retailer, May 2001
12