Study of Consumer Perception about Organic Food Labels

One of the fundamental human rights include the right to healthy, affordable and sustainable food. Following the increase in environmental concerns, people especially in urban areas are looking for healthier, sustainable lifestyle alternatives. While the increase in demand for organic food might seem like an up-market fad, for most consumers of organic foods, the market place offers dilemma. There is an almost lack of information about what do organic labels signify, how to interpret these and which organic food actually deliver safety. This paper is a pilot study to understand consumer perception about organic food labels. The study is carried out on sample respondents belonging to different regions of Maharashtra State, India. Results obtained from this study will be used for a bigger study in this regard. It seems to be in line with the consumer behaviour model presented by Kotler and Keller (2012). Consumers’ psychological characteristics influences the way they perceive organic labels. The study focuses only on the fact that, how perception about labels of organic food products, as a standalone factor, influences buying decision of consumers, irrespective of changes in other factors. We consider how personal, cultural and social factors influence integration of label’s meaning for consumers.