Determinants of Consumer Behavior in Organic Food Markets: A Structured Literature Review

The increase of the global population has put pressure on food production systems and intensified the use of conventional agriculture. This has led in higher use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Although these chemicals are effective, they represent a real threat to the environment and human health. This has increased the importance of organic food products. This study seeks to analyze the factors influencing consumer behavior on choosing organic food products. It focuses on how socio-demographic characteristics, health awareness, subjective norms of the individuals and the country of origin of the products influence consumer choices. The analysis is based on a systematic-narrative hybrid literature review of more than 60 studies from 2000 to 2024. Our findings indicate that health awareness and income level are the main determinants of organic food consumption. Women are also more inclined to buy organic foods. Furthermore, individuals with higher level of education and higher incomes are more likely to consume organic foods. These results have implications for policymakers and market actors, on how to construct effective marketing strategies that focus on health benefits and price sensitivity relative to the income level of consumers.