Consumer decision-making on organic products (CONDOR)
Summary
The market for organically produced foods remains relatively small. If it is to increase then there needs to be a systematic and scientific examination of the consumer decision-making processes involved in the choice between organic and non-organic foods.
This project is co-ordinated by the University of Surrey and brings together a multidisciplinary team across eight EU member states to examine this topic. It combines the development of methods for the segmentation of consumers based upon values and the elicitation of affective (emotional) associations and moral concerns. It involves the development of a theoretically based consumer decision-making model and the testing of this model in eight EU member states and in identified consumer segments. It will provide information on the role played by values and by affective associations and moral concerns in consumer decision-making on organic foods and provide novel insights into the marketing of organic foods in the future.
Objectives
The overall objectives of CONDOR are:
- To provide a basic understanding of the processes involved in consumer decision-making on the purchase and consumption of processed and fresh organic foods
- To model consumer choice of organic foods based on attitudes, values, affective and moral concerns over eight EU member states
CONDOR will provide:
- Novel methods for uncovering emotional and moral concerns which might influence the choice of organic foods
- Methods for segmenting consumers based on their values
- Databases of consumer attitudes, values, emotional and moral concerns in relation to organic foods
- An understanding of cross-European differences in the impact of emotional and moral influences on the choice of organic foods
- Dissemination to stakeholders, including industry, consumer groups and NGOs, via a website and through brochures and workshops targeted at particular stakeholder groups
- A synthesis of the implications for the European marketing of organic foods
Funder
Team
Researchers
Professor Monique Raats
Co-Director, Institute for Sustainability; Professor; Director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre; School of Psychology Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead
Biography
I am a founding Co-Director of the University's Institute for Sustainability, and director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health (FCBH) Research Centre. Together with the university’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, FCBH was awarded the prestigious 2017/2018 Queen’s Anniversary Prize. FCBH research domains include:
- food-related behaviour and policy interventions to achieve sustainable and healthy lifestyles;
- social, policy and ethical issues relevant to the grand societal challenges such as sustainability and obesity;
- study of food systems from the perspective of significant actors and stakeholders within the system; and
- methodologically advancing food consumer science through exploring novel data sources and methods of data linking.
I previously worked at the Institute of Food Research (now Quadram Institute), Health Education Authority and University of Oxford. My expertise is in the area of public health and behavioural nutrition research, gained on a variety of projects. My research is wide ranging both in terms of topics covered (e.g. food choice, policy development, food safety) and methodologies used (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, stakeholder consultation). I have also been involved in the evaluation of health promotion programmes and developing tools for use in nutrition education. To date I have published over 145 refereed papers, numerous non-refereed publications including 20 book chapters 20 book chapters and have edited two books ("The Psychology of Food Choice" (2006) and "Food for the Ag(e)ing Population" (1st edition 2009; 2nd edition 2016).
From 2011 until June 2018 I was a member of UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and also a member of the Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition (SMCN) from 2012 until June 2018.
I am one of the founding members, member of the Board of Directors (2001-2006) and was secretary (2004-2006) of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. The society was set up to combine interests in diet and physical activity; and to stimulate, promote and advocate innovative research and policy in the area. The society now plays an important role in fostering excellence in research in this field through its annual meetings and journal called the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Dr Moira Dean
Researcher
Dr Charo Hodgkins
Senior Lecturer & Director of Innovation for School of Psychology; Institute for Sustainability Fellow
Biography
I started my career with GSK as a development chemist and then moved to Superdrug Stores PLC as Head of Technical Services. During my 14 years in industry, I gained extensive experience of managing technical and research projects within both branded and retail environments. In 2003, I joined the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre (FCBH) in the School of Psychology at Surrey, a multidisciplinary research centre which brings together skills and expertise in order to address research questions on food related policy, consumer behaviour, public health and ultimately food sustainability. I have played an instrumental role in the success of the Research Centre, working on a wide range of collaborative, multidisciplinary UK and EU funded research projects. I am also Director of Innovation for the School of Psychology, employing my expertise to support academics in the School of Psychology and the wider university to develop pathways to impact thus ensuring our research delivers societal benefit. More recently I became a Fellow of Surrey's Institute for Sustainability within which I collaborate on four key research areas; Governance, Equality & Sustainability, Sustainability through Behaviour Change, AI & Sustainability and Plastics in the Circular Economy. I am also an elected academic representative for FHMS on Senate and Council.
Professor Richard Shepherd
Emeritus Professor of Psychology
Biography
Richard Shepherd is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology, having retired in August 2011. He obtained degrees in Natural Sciences from Cambridge and in Psychology from Cardiff and Southampton. He was a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey and then worked at the Institute of Food Research from 1982 to 1998, initially in Norwich and then in Reading, before joining the University of Surrey as a Reader.
He has carried out research on a range of issues related to the factors influencing food choice. In particular this has involved the development and application of social cognition models to food choice issues and the exploration of the factors influencing dietary change. He has also conducted research on the perception of risk and risk communication particularly in relation to food issues. He has published widely in all of these areas of research, including editing two books.
He has directed research funded by BBSRC, ESRC, MAFF, FSA, Wellcome Trust and industry, in addition to several collaborative European projects funded by the EU. He is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. In the past Richard has been a member of the UK Food Standards Agency Social Science Research Committee, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Social Science Expert Advisory Group and the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel.
Project partners
- Dr Liisa Lähteenmäki, VTT Biotechnology, Finland
- Dr Anna Saba, Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione via Ardeatina, Rome, Italy
- Dr George Chryssochoidis, Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Agricultural Economics, Athens, Greece
- Prof. Jose Munuera, Facultad de Economia y Empresa, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Prof. Dr John Thøgersen, The Aarhus School of Business, The MAPP Centre, Aarhus, Denmark
- Dr Erika Claupein, Bundesforschungsanstalt für Ernährung Institut für Ernaehrungsökonomie und -soziologie, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Prof. Per-Olow Sjödén, Uppsala University, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Outputs
Publications
Papers
Shepherd, R., Magnusson, M. K. & Sjoden, P. O. (2005). Determinants of consumer behavior related to organic foods. Ambio, 34, 252-359.
Dean, M., Arvola, A., Vassallo, M., Lahteenmaki, L., Raats, M. M., Saba, A., & Shepherd, R. (2006). Comparison of elicitation methods for moral and affective beliefs in the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 47, 244-252.
Arvola, A., Vassallo, M., Dean, M., Lampila, P., Saba, A., Lahteenmaki, L., & Shepherd, R. (2008). Predicting intentions to purchase organic food: The role of affective and moral attitudes in the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Appetite, 50, 443-454.
Dean, M., Raats, M. M., & Shepherd, R. (2008). Moral concerns and consumer choice of fresh and processed organic foods. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38, 2088-2107.
Dean, M., Raats, M. M., & Shepherd, R. (in press).The role of self-identity, past behaviour and their interaction in predicting intention to purchase fresh and processed organic food. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Conference presentations
Dean, M. & Shepherd, R. (2003). Including affect and moral concerns in attitudes towards organic food. Appetite, 41, 344. Poster presented at the 11th Food Choice Conference, Philadelphia, 26 July 2003.
Shepherd, R. & Dean, M. (2003). The role of values and moral concerns in organic food choice. Poster presented at the 5th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Boston, 20-24 July 2003.
Shepherd, R. & Dean, M. (2003). The role of values and moral concerns in organic food choice. Poster at the BCPC International Congress, Crop Science and Technology 2003, 10-12 November 2003, Glasgow.
Shepherd, R. (2004). Determinants of consumer behaviour related to organic foods. Invited lecture at Food 21 Symposium Towards Sustainable Production and Consumption, Uppsala, Sweden, 26-28 April 2004.
Shepherd, R. (2004). Methods for assessing the role of moral influences on consumer decision-making on organic foods. Invited lecture at 9th Karlsruhe Nutrition Congress, Consumer & Nutrition. Challenges and Chances for Research and Society, Karlsruhe, Germany, 10-12 October 2004.
Shepherd, R., Dean, M., Arvola, A., Lahteenmaki, L., Saba, A. & Vassallo, M. (2005). Methods for eliciting consumer beliefs about fresh and processed organic foods. Paper presented at the Soil Association's 17th Annual Conference 'Organic farming, food quality and health', Newcastle, 6-9 January 2005.
Arvola, A., Vassallo, M., Dean, M., Saba, A., Lahteenmaki, L. & Shepherd, R. (2005). Purchase intentions of organic apples and pizza. Including affective and moral attitude into the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Poster to be presented at the 6th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Harrogate, UK, 7-11 August 2005.
Munuera, J.L., Pemartín, M. & Shepherd, R. (2005). The European consumer of organic products. First results of a qualitative research about the Spanish consumer. Paper presented at the V International PENSA conference, Brazil, 27-29 July.
Shepherd, R. & Dean, M. (2005). Affective and moral influences on consumer choice of organic foods. Poster at the European Experimental Social Psychology Conference, Wurzburg, Germany, 19-23 July 2005.
Shepherd, R. & Dean, M. (2005). Moral concerns and consumer choice of fresh and processed organic foods. Paper to be presented at the 6th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, Harrogate, UK, 7-11 August 2005.
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Research groups and centres
Our research is supported by research groups and centres of excellence.