Who is buying organic (in the late 90's...in Australia...)

This is the next installment of my literature review looking at food values and motivations that shape the alternative food system. By now organic is not really alternative, with the USDA officially governing organic standards, and organic products showing up in many conventional supermarkets all over the world. I'm interested in the evolution of organic insofar as it may provide a cautionary tale for the local foods movement. Organic has gone industrial, and it is arguable as to whether or not this is a good thing for contemporary consumers and the environment. It leads me to wonder what the path will be for "local".

Here is the article I examined and a brief annotation:

Lockie S, Lyons K, Lawrence G, Mummery K (2002). Eating ‘Green’: Motivations Behind Organic Food Consumption in Australia, Sociologia Ruralis; vol 42, no. 1.

This study utilizes focus groups and telephone surveys to identify various, and often competing motivations for choosing to purchase and consume organic products in Australia. The authors found that both organic and non-organic consumers share many of the same food related values and concerns in relation to motivations for food choice. However, different consumers place more or less weight on particular values which informs food purchases.

The central reasons for organic consumption found in this study, along with environmental concern, include a focus on personal/family health, natural content of food (amount of processing and additives), as well as price and convenience, among others. These values were shared with non-organic consumers, who put more weight on price and convenience, where as organic consumers put more weight on health and natural content. The main population associations found in the study identified increases in organic consumption among people with more education and women. The authors point out that these findings challenge the popular stereotypes of organic consumers who are often viewed as yuppies and ‘greenies’ (environmentalists). Thus, there is a wide audience for organic, but for consumers, the challenge is to balance the competing demands of values and practical concerns.

The authors note that industrial organic is an issue of concern, but do not explicitly examine it in their study. Industrial organic poses a conflict to the values of the initial organic movement that support low input, sustainable and local production, but seeks to make organic foods more available to consumers who primarily shop for food in conventional supermarkets. The authors point out that given the values of both organic and non-organic consumers, consumers in general may not be entirely opposed, though may not fully support the industrialization of organic food production.