How to Increase the Consumption among Citizens for Organic Foods in China

SFS 215 - Fundamentals of Sustainable Food Systems

October 22, 2018

Acknowledgement

I want to sincerely acknowledge those who offered their contributions making the paper be

completed successfully. I am notably obliged to the teaching staff for their leadership,

positive remarks, and the driving spirit throughout the research work. I likewise acknowledge

the support of my classmates and co-workers who contributed insightful ideas and talked

through the study with the researcher to enrich it. Moments of thanks to my family for always

being there for me! Thank you for your support, understanding, and motivation. Lastly, to the

extent, the study is based on the works of the authors and researchers; I express my gratitude

to them for providing clear and helpful resources, which enabled me to gain a better

understanding of the subject matter.

Abstract

The paper introduced that the health concerns and the environmental concerns are the key

issues that drive China to advocate for the consumption and the production of organic food and

due to this, the Chinese market has grown tremendously. The importance of the topic prompted

the researcher to conduct the research with the aim of identifying obstacles of “green” foods

purchasing and to enhance the consumption of organic foods in the Chinese market by

investigating the consumer behaviour. The literature review provided diverse background

information on the topic from several current sources relating it. The results showed that some

of the key problems facing the consumption of organic food in the county are the accessibility,

availability, affordability, awareness, the trust on the quality of the available organic foods and

low income. The discussion pointed a number of issues regarding the consumption of organic

food in China including the availability. The researcher found that even though there is a

substantial presence of organic food in the country, most of it is meant for exportation to foreign

markets. Also, most of the consumers have lower income and hence are not able to purchase

the expensive organic foods. Others are unaware of the availability of organic foods while other

does not trust the quality of the available organic foods in the market. It was concluded that the

even though there is an indication of an intense consumption of organic food in China, there is

a need to increase it. The significant recommendations on the ways on how to increase the

consumption include increasing availability, improving affordability, the creation of awareness

and the assurance of the public of the safety of organic food.

Table of Contents

How to Increase the Consumption among Citizens for Organic Foods in China ............................... 1

1.0 Background Information ......................................................................................................... 6


 
1 The Aim of the Study .............................................................................................................. 8 
2 Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 8 
0 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 10 
1 Origination of Organic Foods ................................................................................................ 10 
2 Organic Farming Practices ..................................................................................................... 11 
3 Chinese attitudes and opinion toward organic foods ........................................................... 11 
3.1 Customer Purchase Decision Process ............................................................................ 11 
4 The 4As of Marketing Strategies ........................................................................................... 13 
4.1 Affordability ................................................................................................................... 13 
4.2 Acceptability .................................................................................................................. 14 
4.3 Accessibility .................................................................................................................... 14 
4.4 Availability ...................................................................................................................... 14 
5 Awareness of the consumption of Organic Food .................................................................. 14 
6 Attitudes and Intentions of consumers’ for Organic Food Consumption ............................. 15 
7 4P’s Marketing Strategy ........................................................................................................ 15 
0 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 17 
1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 17 
2 Research design .................................................................................................................... 17 
3 The research population ....................................................................................................... 18 
4 Relational analysis ................................................................................................................. 18 
5 Data collection from the sources .......................................................................................... 18 
6 The Qualitative Content analysis technique ......................................................................... 19 
7 Why the content analysis? .................................................................................................... 20 
8 Reliability and validity of the content analysis ...................................................................... 21 
9 How the researcher overcame the limitations of the Content analysis ................................ 22 
0 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 23 
1 Obstacles of “green” foods purchasing in China ................................................................... 23 
1.1 Income ........................................................................................................................... 23 
1.2 Quality, Awareness Cost and Availability ....................................................................... 24 
1.3 Attitudes towards green consumption in China ............................................................ 26 
1.4 Consumer willingness to buy organic foods in China ..................................................... 27 
0 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 28 

5 
 
6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations ........................................................................................... 31 
6.1 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 31 
6.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 32 
References................................................................................................................................... 35 
 
Table of Figures 
Table 1: illustrates how income affects the consumption of organic food in China 23 
Figure  2:  Illustrates  the  respondents'  responses  to  the  research  questions  based  on  their 
awareness, availability, quality and affordability of organic food in China. .............. 25 
Figure 3 The Attitude of the Chinese People towards Green Consumption ................ 26 
Figure 4: Consumer behavior: Consumer willingness to buy organic foods in China 27 
  
Introduction

1.0 Background Information

With an increase of health awareness and environmental concerns, food selection has

become a heated topic among citizens in China and the government emphasizes environmental

friendliness towards “green” China as well. (Singhal, 2017) Organic food is identified as has

been produced with free of chemicals. (Chen, Lobo & Rajendran, 2014). Therefore, the rising

environmental concerns among Chinese consumers, coupled with government intervention

have seen the rise in organic food production in the country. Wijaya, (2017) says the main

reason why most of the Chinese people are striving to increase the consumption of organic food

is due to the health concerns that are in the rise. People are avoiding the health problems that

accompany the consumption of inorganic food due to the chemical used in its production.

According to Thøgersen, and Zhou, (2018) any type of food is classified as organic if it does

have any contents of synthesized artificial fertilizers, growth regulators, poultry feeds additives,

and pesticides. Thøgersen, and Zhou, (2018) add that in the recent years in China, the size of

organic food products has been in the rise due to the fact that the agricultural activities towards

organic food production have increased.

In China, as the fourth potential organic consumer market throughout the world, “non-

polluted food”, “green food” or “organic food” is deemed as safe, environment-friendly and

ecological. Furthermore, (Chen, Lobo & Rajendran, 2014) the expansion of “green” food

industry is the result of the growing demand for healthy food products. (Chen, Lobo &

Rajendran, 2014) As the food scandals and health diseases occur frequently these years in

China, then individuals raise awareness of food safety and nutritional value of food. (Singhal,

2017)A lot of middle-class Chinese consumers are willing to purchase organic food products

due to the anxieties of domestic food safety. Additionally, some companies think this

phenomenon is a new investment opportunity in the Chinese health food market. For example

US Walmart and French Carrefour aim to enhance sales of organic goods. (Chen, Lobo &

Rajendran, 2014) However, it was regarded as a luxury in the past Chinese market.

When paced in the world perspective, the consumption of organic food has grown rapidly

due to the reason that the developed agricultural economies around the world have intensified

the production of such crops. The global scale in the production of organic food, has hit a

whopping $23 billion since the year 2003 (Sheng, Shen, Qiao, Yu & Fan, 2009). The research

was done by Sanders, (2016) show that the growth is growing immensely with 33 billion dollars

increase in 2016 to an enormous $40 billion in 2017. This type of growth is projected to

increase throughout 2018 and with this rate, countries such as China has to think about the need

to intensify the production of organic food due to the fact that, the future holds a better potential

for its devotement. Sanders, (2016) say that the other reason why the country has to look for

ways to increase the consumption of organic food is that of the health benefits that accompany

the use of such foods in the economy. It reduces health hazards and the effects it may have on

the country’s economy.

Although Chinese consumers accept organic food gradually, there are many factors that

influence their buying decision (Türk & Erciş, 2017). Facing this huge potential market and

challenge, it is essential to analyze customer behaviour and current situation of the organic food

market (Chen, Lobo & Rajendran, 2014). Additionally, studies conducted by Sanders, (2016)

shows that over 25 percent of Chinese farms have been polluted by the use of fertilizers,

pesticides among other chemicals due to inorganic agriculture. There have been reports that the

presence of metals such as cadmium in rice, explosion of watermelons due to chemical use, the

use of hormones in increasing food product’s growth rates such as steroids for muscle growth

in animal products makes the need for organic food production important (Sheng, Shen, Qiao,

Yu, & Fan, 2009). It also makes this topic on how to increase the consumption of organic food

in the country a very important issue. All these issues need a security priority for the local

populations in China. According to Sanders, (2016) who conducted research in the country to

determine the awareness of the effects of organic food in the country, over 72 per cent of the

Chinese people are worried about their health because of the consumption of foods with

chemicals. Most of them agree that they are consuming harmful food. It is important, therefore,

to conduct a research like this because it provides the way forward for the institutions and the

government on what steps to take to increase the consumption of organic food that will reduce

health problems. It will also enlighten the consumers on the importance of avoiding unsafe

food and adopting a “green” lifestyle that will not only enhance personal health but the national

economy.

1.1 The Aim of the Study

This research aims to identify obstacles to “green” foods purchasing in China and to enhance

the consumption of organic foods in the Chinese market by investing in consumer behaviour.

1.2 Objectives

i. To understand the current circumstance and future development of the Chinese organic food

market.

ii. To know the cognitive status of organic foods among citizens in China

iii. To analyze Chinese purchasing willingness and key influencing factors consumer

behaviour toward organic foods

iv. To combine 4A marketing mix and consumer behaviour to promote sales of organic foods

in China.

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Origination of Organic Foods

The Chinese have consumed on organic agriculture and foods especially driven by the

need to take care of the environment and for market purposes since the 1980s. Qiao, (2011)

states that the growth of organic agriculture increased reaching 3 million hectares in several

years. The chines government also enhanced its regulation of the organic sector by providing

rules and regulations around the mid-1990s (Qiao, 2011). The trend did not stop and so by the

year 2005, the government introduced the compulsory organic standards and systems for

supervision that required the certification of the organic firms or bodies operating in China.

Consequently, as Qiao, (2011) observes, all the organic products including the imports should

thus comply with the provided standards and national rules.

By estimation, statistical information shows that the values and the volume of organic

products in China have increased exponentially (Swiderska (2011). According to Liu, (2010),

the need for food safety led the Chinese authorities to introduce rules and regulations for the

food sector in the 1990s. One example is the national regulations on organic agriculture were

first introduced in the early 2000s, and the last one was applied in 2005 requiring certification

and compliance with the Chinese national organic standards and certification protocols

(Shouying, n.d.). The domestic market began to develop in the mid-2000s and has expanded

very fast.

Traditional farming in China was primarily based on the intensity of the labour input

for converting the land into the cultivable farm (Shouying, n.d.). The sustainable agricultural

practices in China are considered to be based on traditional practices, and some of these

methods are crop rotation, compost as fertilizer, etc. These practices proved efficient for crop

production. Tev, et al., (2014) states that there are some other activities involved in the

traditional farming practices like traditional methods for water and soil conservation, growing

vegetative barriers, crop rotation and crop delaying, using green manure, etc. (Immanuel et al.,

2010). But with the change in the adaptive conditions of soil and variation in the environmental

conditions vast improvement was made and a new era of farming took birth.

2.2 Organic Farming Practices

Organic agriculture in China shows a rapid advancement and acceptance as can be seen

from the reports by Scoones & Elsaesser (2008). According to this report, the third position

concerning organic farming was given to China in 2006, and the domestic customers accepted

organic food products. Sheng, (2009) says that initially, there was a little awareness amongst

the people regarding organic food, but they put faith in the products developed by country.

According to recent data, Beijing is the largest market for natural products with high domestic

value. Apart from these, taking food security as a constraint, China has accepted organic

farming practices as best approach and imposed different laws and government imposition for

the implementation of organic farming and accepting organic products as best choice (Qiao,

2011).

2.3 Chinese attitudes and opinion toward organic foods

2.3.1 Customer Purchase Decision Process

Before going on for purchasing a product a customer, in general, adopt a system or

have some strategy. The customer decision-making process can be explained into five stages

viz.

i. Identification

Identification of the need for the product and different needs are physiological, safety,

social, ego, and self-actualization. All needs of a person can be satisfied if he understands the

exact requirement of the product for his existence. The aspect of food security and ensuring the

environmental condition pushed the customers in China to recognize the need for some healthy

organic foods (Li, 2010).

ii. Information Search

The next step followed by the customer in the decision-making process for a purchase

begins with the question of whether he would get the satisfaction with the purchase or

consumption of the product (Bekele et al., 2017). For this, he starts collecting information

regarding the product, its quality, and benefits. Different approaches are available for obtaining

information like personal sources, commercial sources, public sources, and experiential

sources (li, 2010 and Luo, 2009).

iii. Evaluation of alternatives

The next step to information search is the evaluation of the alternatives and the products

available in the market. The person tries to enhance the level of knowledge, and for this, he

gathered the entire information and decided to evaluate the best out of all available options (Li,

2010). In China, three different types of foods are available, and people have to decide the use

viz. regular, green and organic (Bekele et al., 2017).

iv. Purchase Decision

The purchase decision is a diverse concept where the customer has different ways to show

his interest and satisfaction from the product like trial purchase, repeat purchase, and long-term

commitment purchase. According to research purchase decision of people in China for organic

food depends on the understanding of the customer regarding the organic foods and their

perceived benefits (li, 2010 and McCarthy et al., 2015).

v. Post-purchase behaviour

In this step, the user evaluates his purchase and decides for his future person. This

is beneficial in the case when the purchase is trial purchase. The researchers reported

that the after understanding the benefits and use of organic food products once, the

customers are even willing to pay the higher amount for organic or green foods

(McCarthy et al., 2015). Therefore, McCarthy et al., (2015) assert that if consumers are

dissatisfied with a product then they are likely to purchase it again and if they are not,

they are not likely to purchase again. For a product to perform better, sellers should take

into consideration consumer satisfaction to ensure that consumers repurchase their

products and create better relations for better customer loyalty.

2.4 The 4As of Marketing Strategies

For improving the marketing strategies a powerful tool which is customer focused has

been introduced. This framework works on the values of the customers like acceptability,

affordability, accessibility, and awareness.

2.4.1 Affordability

In any market, it is important to ensure the affordability of the product, and this will ensure

whether the product cost is affordable for the customers (Shah & Desai, 2013). This value

defines whether the market can pay the price of the product. There are two dimensions of

affordability viz. the target customers can pay the price, or they are willing to pay the price

(Sheth & Galliers, n.d.). Thus, companies must introduce some products that can be afforded

by domestic customers.

2.4.2 Acceptability

The acceptability of a product by the customers is an excellent challenge for the

companies who were going to introduce some new product on the market. Any marketing aims

to meet the demands of the customers and fulfilling their expectations (Shah & Desai, 2013

and Sheth & Galliers, n.d.).

2.4.3 Accessibility

Accessibility is the extent to which the product is accessible to the customers and how

easily the customer can use them. To ensure the accessibility of the product marketing must be

available in the local as well as supermarkets (Shah & Desai, 2013 and Sheth & Galliers, n.d.).

2.4.4 Availability

It is essential for the customers to be aware of the availability and accessibility of the

product. The realization is not limited to these costumers as they must have known about the

effectiveness and benefits in long-term. To increase awareness different tools can be

implemented like social media, awareness programs, customer review boxes, etc.

2.5 Awareness of the consumption of Organic Food

Muhammad et al. (2016) in their research studied the consumers' awareness of the

consumption of organic food products in the United Arab Emirates. They mentioned that

conventional farming beneficial regarding cost and high output but it is highly risky for human

health and environmental stability. The awareness of the consumption of organic food

increased worldwide with the passage of time. Brantsaeter et al. (2017) say for the conventional

farming practices, the use of pesticides and fertilizers was recorded in tons, but with the

imposition of acts and laws the use of pesticides reduced by billions of tons. It was reported

that the consumption of organic food might reduce the risk of allergies, disease and poor health

conditions. People must go for organic food for a healthier lifestyle (Mie et al., 2017).

2.6 Attitudes and Intentions of consumers’ for Organic Food Consumption

There are some researches which studied the consumers’ attitudes and intentions for

buying organic foods for leading a sustainable life. Ueasangkomsate and Santiteerakul (2016)

in their study analyzed the attitude of the people towards the organic food for sustainable

development. For the study, a descriptive analysis was conducted, and the researcher reported

that in Thailand most of the farmers were using pesticides and fertilizers, and organic farming

was limited to an extent. The study by Bekele et al. (2017) created awareness among the

consumers regarding organic food and benefits associated with the consumption of these types

of foods. The study suggested some methods for promoting the consumption of organic foods

like concerned institutions must organize awareness programs for organic foods. They must be

provided knowledge regarding the environmental and health benefits of organic foods

(McCarthy, 2015).

2.7 4P’s Marketing Strategy

There are some other strategies for marketing that can be employed in China for

increasing the consumption of organic food. One of the methods is introducing the concept of

4Ps of marketing which includes Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. The food products must

be according to the diet pattern of the people in China (Ehmke et al., 2005). The product must

be according to the daily consumption type of food that can easily be adopted (Song, 2017).

The other P is Price means the price of the food must be according to the financial condition of

the people. The price of the product must also be according to the ability of each to pay for

their food (Kotler & Armstrong, 2008). The place is the P for the marketing mix which focuses

on the channel through which a product has to go to reach their customers. The different

channels available for a product to go through our direct sales to the consumer or through the

vendors. There are four factors on which the place for marketing will depend on viz. parking,

population base, accessibility and visibility (Mealey, 2016). And the last P is Promotion, which

is a step of advertising and influencing the thoughts of the people. The social media and

websites are the smartest way of promoting a new product in the market. The digital world will

help the consumers in grabbing the position in the market.

3.0 Methodology

3.1 Introduction

The objective of this part of the paper was to determine, through a qualitative content

analysis of secondary sources how the consumption of organic food among Chinese citizens

could be increased. The researcher also wanted to explore through the secondary electronic

sources, some of the factors that influence the consumption of organic food in the Chinese

market. Also, the researcher also wanted to do identification and the analysis of the concerns

of consumers of organic foods, and finally, to do an analysis of the potential of the market for

the organic foods in the country. Research methodology refers to the systematic process or

method that deals with the enunciation of the identification of a problem, the collection of facts

and data and the formulation of a conclusion based on the information, facts, and data generated

(Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015).

3.2 Research design

In this research, the approach used involved a small number of electronic sources which

prompted the use of qualitative content analysis meaning that the design was descriptive.

Content analysis research is a technique employed in such a way that valid and replicable

inferences can be made by the interpretation and the coding of textual material (Lewis, 2015).

The method works in a way such that it identifies words, characters, phrases, sentences or

themes within texts such as books, essays, and chapters of texts books, speeches, newspaper

headlines, articles, conversations, and advertising, historical documents among others.

Neuendorf, (2016) says in general, it is all about a description of the secondary sources

employed. In this study, the chosen sources from the most credible sources represented the

entire sources on the internet concerning organic food consumption in China.

3.3 The research population

The research population refers to the extensive collection of people or objects under

study that is the aim focus of the research Neuman, (2016). Neuman, (2016) adds that it is

essential to understand that research is generally of benefit to the population. In this research,

the focus of the research was based on the electronic secondary sources generated from the

internet that addressed the topic on how to increase the consumption of organic foods products

among the Chinese. The researcher identified the sources whose content had data relevant to

the topic.

3.4 Relational analysis

The relational analysis is a technique in the content analysis that is used to explore the

existing relationships of the vital concepts in a given text or set of texts (Coleman, 2008). In

this regard, the researcher first used the research question as the basis of the relation analysis.

The correlation between the concepts of the texts was then compared with the research question.

The researcher looked at the pattern that existed within the words in the texts. Few words were

then taken from each of the secondary sources or texts and were directly used in looking at the

social and behavioural connections. What followed is that the researcher determined the

existing relationships between the conceptions in the words. The relational analysis, therefore,

allowed the researcher to angle out the most relevant sources that were used in the research. In

the end, two appropriate sources on the topic were selected.

3.5 Data collection from the sources

According to Sullivan-Bolyai, Bova and Singh, (2014) data collection refers to the

process in which the measurement as well as the gathering of information from the variables

of interest to the researcher. It is always done in a systematically established manner which

enables the researcher to gather answers to the research question, test the hypotheses of the

study and conduct an evaluation at the end of the study. In this case, the data findings from the

two sources were used by the researcher to find out how the consumption of organic food can

be increased among Chinese citizens. One of the sources was a Journal of the Science of Food

and Agriculture tilted “Consumers' purchase intention of organic food in China” by Yin, Wu,

Du and Chen, (2010) and the second one was an article from Food Quality and Preference

written by Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, (2013) titled “Green food consumption intention, behaviors

and influencing factors among Chinese consumers.” Since each of the two electronic sources

had varied information concerning the topic, the researcher used each of them and compared

their results for better and informed results. The research questions in the three sources were

similar to the research question in this study’s which made it possible to use its results and

findings in addressing the study’s research question. In most of them, respondents were asked

questions regarding the topic of organic food consumption in China and the results were

analyzed, and conclusions were drawn on the responses.

3.6 The Qualitative Content analysis technique

The research instrument used in this research is coding. According to Neuendorf, (2016)

coding refers to the process used in the qualitative content analysis where one sorts the data

and organizes it. The coding process is useful because it allows one to synthesize and

summarize the happenings in the data. Coding is also crucial as a basis for the development of

the analysis through the interpretation and the linking of the data collected. It is essential to

create a storyline before starting any coding process because the story lie acts as the basis of

the research (Neuendorf, 2016).

The researcher in this study created a storyline as the fundamental way of starting the

coding process of the electronic sources. In this case, the storyline was prepared based on what

the research topic required. The storyline helped in the process of deciding on the themes and

concepts to communicate in the evaluation and as a guide in the process of coding and

organizing the data. The coding process began with the assignment of phrases, words, and

numbers to the coding categories. The researcher went through the chosen article and the

journal’s textual data. The concepts, themes, and ideas were then coded to fit all the categories.

The codes were created using both the open and pre-set manner.

A start list of preset codes derived from the research’s conceptual framework, the

problem areas and the list of research questions were generated. The pre-set codes had at least

forty words. The meanings of each of the codes were recorded for reference. In the process of

data analysis, the researcher took notes of the ideas and the reactions that emerge which became

important in the analytical process. It provided new interpretations of the texts and the

connections with other research data. The coding process, therefore, allowed for the collection

of data for the secondary research. It became possible for the researcher to access information

relevant to the research question without necessarily going to the field to interview respondents.

3.7 Why the content analysis?

The content analysis was chosen for this research because it offers numerous

advantages. First, Lombard, Snyder‐Duch, and Bracken, (2012) state that content analysis is

useful because it directly looked at the communication through texts hence the ability to access

the central aspects of the phenomenon under study. The other reason why qualitative content

analysis is crucial in research is that it’s flexible in that it can be used I both qualitative and the

quantitative research. In this study, it was useful because it involved its use in qualitative

research. The method also became of importance because the repeated coding system provided

a historical insight, not the topic that allowed for the further generation of ideas hence enriching

the findings and the conclusion on the hypotheses.

3.8 Reliability and validity of the content analysis

Reliability is a significant aspect of the research process as it shows how vital the

information provided could be relied on. Potter and Levine‐Donnerstein, (2009) say in content

analysis, the reliability of the coded information over time measures its reliability. However, in

most cases, the issues of reliability are not discussed in this ethos of analysis. Even though this

is the case, it is possible to measure reliability by determining the stability of the method. It is

done by recoding the data by various experts and impairing the results. If the results show

similarities, then the method is reliable or stable. The findings could also be compared with

standard norms of statistical data which its resemblance measures the reliability. However, the

issue of human nature among the researchers always affects the reliability. Human beings are

bound to make errors hence the errors generated by human faults can be minimized in content

analysis ad not eliminated. Therefore, 80% is the acceptable reliability margin (Potter &

Levine‐Donnerstein, 2009).

The other issue is validity. In content analysis, validity refers to the degree of

correspondence of the coding categories to the desired conclusions, as well as the

generalizations of the results (Potter & Levine‐Donnerstein, 2009). It is achieved through the

utilization of various classifiers in order to arrive at a definition that is standard and agreed on

each category.

3.9 How the researcher overcame the limitations of the Content analysis

The researcher tried to overcome these limitations through the careful phrasing and

framing of the words, phrases, sentences, and symbols and cautiously interpreting the codes

provided by the coding system. This was done to ensure that the results are accurate and

consistent and to ensure that the conclusions made from the codes completed response to the

research question. The researcher also looked at the coding results in a relative and not in

absolute terms. The data coding process was also done carefully to ensure that the information

gathered was reliable and could lead to the desired outcome and reduce human errors. All these

measures were taken by the researcher to ensure that the research was reliable and that its

outcome could help organizations and institutions in China to increase the consumption of

organic food products among the citizens.

4.0 Results

4.1 Obstacles of “green” foods purchasing in China

4.1.1 Income

The research conducted by Yin, Wu, Du and Chen, (2010) found that one of the obstacles

towards the green purchase and consumption of organic food in China is income. The table

below shows how income affects the purchase decisions among Chinese consumers.

Source: Yin, Wu, Du and Chen, (2010)

The most relevant codes from the source “Consumers' purchase intention of organic food

in China” by Yin, Wu, Du and Chen, (2010) showed the issue of income as the primary factor

Table 1: illustrates how income affects the consumption of organic food in China

Income

Buy Organic foods

Do not buy organic food

All

Respondents

Less Than

$2300

24%

76%

Between

$2300-$4700

29%

71%

Between

$4700-$7000

39%

61%

More than

$7000

60%

40%

Total

32%

136

68%

200

affecting the consumption of organic food in China. The interview conducted by these authors

involved 200 respondents who indicated their salary range and their consumption behavior of

the organic food. Through the interview, the authors came up with the table above indicates the

salary range and the number of participants who consumed the organic food and those who did

not. Through the tabling process, the authors came up with the resulting percentages indicated

on the table. The source indicated that a high percentage of those with higher income buy

organic food in China. According to Yin, Wu, Du and Chen, (2010) the levels of income affects

the Chinese people in regard to the consumption of organic food since the results from the table

above according to their research shows that a higher percentage of those with high-income

levels purchase more organic food when compared to lower who purchase organic food.

4.1.2 Quality, Awareness Cost and Availability

The other major factors that have become an obstacle in the purchase of the agree food in

China are shown in the figure below. These data came from the second source by Zhu, Li, Geng

and Qi, (2013).

Figure 2: Illustrates the respondents' responses to the research questions based on their

awareness, availability, quality and affordability of organic food in China.

Source: Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, (2013)

Through content analysis of the article “Green food consumption intention, behaviors and

influencing factors among Chinese consumers.” conducted by Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, (2013)

the data from the figure above were extracted for interpretation. The research involved 135

respondents and their responses were tabled as shown in the figure above, extracted from the

study. According to Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, (2013) some of the factors he found to be an obstacle

to the purchase of organic food in China is low awareness, lack of the availability of the organic

food, quality and affordability. This research found that most of the Chinese people are not

aware of the availability of organic products while those who are aware were deterred by the

high prices of organic foods. Others were not sure about the quality of the food and whether

they were actually green.

4.1.3 Attitudes towards green consumption in China

Figure 3 The Attitude of the Chinese People towards Green Consumption

Source: Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, (2013).

Through content analysis of the article “Green food consumption intention, behaviors and

influencing factors among Chinese consumers.” conducted by Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, (2013)

found the other problem facing the Chinese market in regard to the consumption of organic

food as the attitude of the people towards the green consumption. This study was also based on

the 135 respondents whose interview generated the results in the figure above. Zhu, Li, Geng

and Qi, (2013) indicates that most of the respondents are concerned about the health issues

regarding the consumption of organic food as well as the prices. Others are also using green

food even though they are concerned about the high prices. Others only follow the assurance

labels.

4.1.4 Consumer willingness to buy organic foods in China

Content analysis was done on the journal “Consumers' purchase intention of organic food

in China” by Yin, Wu, Du and Chen, (2010) coins out the issue of consumer behavior with

their willingness as the key issue affecting their consumption of organic foods in the country.

Figure 4: Consumer behavior: Consumer willingness to buy organic foods in China

Source: Yin, Wu, Du and Chen, (2010).

In the journal, the authors interviewed 200 respondents and the results on the consumer

behavior towards organic food were illustrated in the figure above. One of the most significant

factors was the willingness to buy them. It also indicated other factors that determined their

willingness which included socioeconomic factors, the perception of quality, availability of

information, advertisements and knowledge.

5.0 Discussion

This section of the paper presents the discussion of the results of the research giving in-

depth analysis and literature sarong the issues.

In this study, about 68 percent of the respondents indicated that they never bought organic

food products in China while about 32 percent of them strongly indicated that they bought

organic food. Even though 32 percent shows a similarity with what other studies came up with

about the consumption of organic food in most developed countries in the world, this study is

different from most of them because it was able to find that most of the 32 percent of the

respondents did not use organic food often. Most of them purchased it occasionally.

The results above show that income is a greater factor in terms of the consumption of

organic food. It is clear that families with higher income have the ability to buy organic food

because of their prices. Most organic food is expensive in China which makes most people

avoid buying them (Zhu, Li, Geng and Qi, 2013). From the results, it is clear that those with a

salary of above $4700 where 39% and 60% respectively. In China, for instance, most of most

of the families fall below $4700 mark in terms of income. This means that most of the Chinese

people are consuming organic food.

The other factor indicated in the results was the availability of organic food. It is it was

found that 24 percent of the respondents cited the lack of the availability of organic food in

China. It, therefore, means that organic food is insufficient in the country and most people are

not able to find it. Sheng, et al., (2009) assert that China has been indicated as one of the biggest

producers of organic food is the world however, it is noted that most of the organic food is

exported and less remains with the local consumers. Sheng, et al., (2009) adds that it is one of

the reasons why local consumers do not have access to it. In supermarkets around China, the

largest variety of foods available is dry food such as flour; crackers and raisins indicated that

there is a limited amount of organic food. It is indicated that if one is a vegetarian is such a

country where there is no organic food availability life may become difficult.

The other issue is awareness. This is the biggest issue when it comes to Chinese society

today. In the results section, it was found that 43 percent of the respondents were unaware of

anything to do with organic food. When this is translated to the larger population in the country,

it amounts to a greater number of entire populations. The research was done by Wijaya, (2017)

show that there is a growing percentage of organic food presence in the Chinese market with a

percent of between 25% and 30%. However, the biggest problems come in regard to the

people’s awareness of its availability. Awareness has a greater impact on organic food

production and consumption because it empowers the consumers to buy the products (Van Loo,

Diem, Pieniak, & Verbeke, 2013).

On the other hand, the issue of affordability has it most of the Chinese consumers since

organic food is expensive. In the study, it is indicated that 19% of the respondents indicated

that the cost of organic food is quite high. Given the low income among the majority of the

Chinese people, buying expensive organic food may not be possible. Van Loo, et al., (2013)

concludes that most people opt for other dry food product that’s cheaper.

Furthermore, about 2% of the respondents indicated in the study that they were could not

trust the quality of organic food in the Chinese market. Türk and Erci (2017) say that in most

of the Chinese groceries, people can find organic food sold by the local traders but it seems

that most of the consumers do not trust it. In the country, most of the foods labelled as organic,

according to most people are just excuses for the traders to charge more money. Most of the

consumers believe that the word “organic” is just a jargon for traders to attach value to the

products.

6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations

6.1 Conclusion

In conclusion, to determine how the consumption of organic food in China could be

increased. The researcher believes that the finding of this research will be helpful to the local

authorities and the consumers in terms of the provision of the required knowledge on the

various factors affecting the consumption organic food in the country. It is clear that China has

come a long way in terms of the consumption and production of organic foods. In comparison

to the other developed countries in the world, it is evident that it is making major trends in the

organic foods spectrum.

The Chinese have consumed on organic agriculture and foods especially driven by the need

to take care of the environment and for market purposes since the 1980s. Over the years it the

health concerns as well as the environmental concerns are some of the key issues that have

driven most nations to advocate for the consumption and the production of organic foods and

China has never been left behind since its market has grown tremendously. However, most

people are still worried about the quality of the organic food available to them. The importance

of the topic prompted the researcher to conduct the research with the aim of identifying

obstacles of “green” foods purchase in China and to enhance the consumption by investing in

consumer behaviour.

The key barriers facing the consumption of organic food in the county are the accessibility,

availability, affordability, awareness, the trust on the quality of the available organic foods, low

income, consumer attitudes and their willingness to buy them. In the discussion section, the

researcher discussed a number of issues regarding the consumption of organic food in China.

One of these is the availability the researcher found that even though there is a substantial

presence of organic food in the country, most of it is meant for exportation to foreign markets.

Also, it was found that most of the consumers have lower income and hence are not able to

purchase the expensive organic foods. Others are unaware of the availability of organic foods

while other does not trust the quality of the available organic foods in the market.

6.2 Recommendations

The crucial recommendations on how the Chinese government can be able to improve the

consumption of organic foods in the country are discussed below

i. Increase awareness

Awareness is vital issues in marketing because it drives the ability to buy a product. If

a given section of a population is aware of the presence of a given product, then they

are able to buy it (Türk & Erciş, 2017). Therefore, it is recommended that the Chinese

government creates awareness of the presence and the importance of organic food in

the country as well as its important concerning human health. Türk and Erciş, (2017)

say this could be done by launching campaigns through social media, government

websites, and the establishment of radio and television programs that sensitizes the

people about the essentials of organic foods in their homes as well as newspapers and

blogs.

ii. Improve Affordability

Organic foods in China comes at high prices making it unaffordable among low

incomes citizens. Kearney, (2010) indicates that organic products are quite expensive

in the Chinese market and due to the lack of enough income among most citizens,

affording to buy such products is an issue. Therefore, what can be done by the

government and the relevant authorities is that organic food prices could be subsidized

to encourage the consumers to buy them.

iii. Increase Availability

According to Sirieix, Kledal and Sulitang, (2011), the availability of a product in any

market makes it easier for consumers to access it and use it. The problem with the

organic food market in China is that there is limited availability of organic foods to

local consumers. The government and other local agricultural agencies in the country

should balance between organic food exports and local consumption needs. Increasing

custom and clearance needs for exports will ensure that there is enough organic food

for the local market. Kearney, (2010) says that subsidies will also encourage the traders

to consider selling the products in the local markets.

iv. Provision of Employment

Employment is an essential aspect of any economy in a country. Sirieix, Kledal and

Sulitang, (2011) assert that the employment sector can be improved in China to ensure

that there is an increase in the availability of jobs that generates income among the local

people. When people get jobs, they generate income that can allow them to afford

expensive organic food.

v. Quality control of organic foods

Quality is a significant issue when it comes to organic food. There have been various

cases in China where fake, poor quality and harmful organic food enhanced through the

use of hormones such as steroids were reported. The government should, therefore; the

government should control the quality of such food through the presence of regulatory

bodies that test the quality Zhu et al., 2013).

vi. Public assurance of organic food safety

The other important way in which the consumption of organic food consumption can

be increased in China is through the assurance to the public that organic foods are safe

for human health (Kearney, 2010). Due to the concerns raised in the recent years

concerning the safety of the organic foods in the country, the government, after ensuring

that quality measures have been fully implemented could then inform the public,

through comparing on the various platforms such as media that the organic foods in the

country have undergone thorough inspections that ensure that they are safe for their

health. This move will increase the number of citizens using organic food in the country.

References

Bourke, B. (2014). Positionality: Reflecting on the research process. The Qualitative Report,

19(33), 1-9.

Chen, J., Lobo, A., & Rajendran, N. (2014). Drivers of organic food purchase intentions in

mainland China - evaluating potential customers' attitudes, demographics and

segmentation. International Journal Of Consumer Studies, 38(4), 346-356. doi:

10.1111/ijcs.12095

Coleman, J. S. (2008). Relational analysis: the study of social organizations with survey

methods. Human organization, 17(4), 28-36.

Dadzie, K., Amponsah, D., Dadzie, C., & Winston, E. (2017). How Firms Implement

Marketing Strategies in Emerging Markets: An Empirical Assessment of The 4A

Marketing Mix Framework. Journal Of Marketing Theory And Practice, 25(3), 234-256.

doi: 10.1080/10696679.2017.1311220

Ehmke, C., Fulton, J., & Lusk, J. (2005). Marketing's four P's: first steps for new entrepreneurs.

Purdue University, Purdue Extension.

Galliers, R. D., & Sheth, J. (2012). The 4 A's of marketing: Creating value for customer,

company and society. Routledge.

Immanuel, R. R., Imayavaramban, V., Elizabeth, L. L., Kannan, T., & Murugan, G. (2010).

Traditional farming knowledge on agroecosystem conservation in Northeast coastal

Tamil Nadu.

Kearney, J. (2010). Food consumption trends and drivers. Philosophical Transactions of the

Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 365(1554), 2793-2807.

Kotler, P&Amstrong, G. 2008.Principles of Marketing.12th edition. Upper Saddle River, New

Jersey 07458.

Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches.

Health promotion practice, 16(4), 473-475.

Li, J. (2010). Current Chinese Consumer Purchase Behaviour: Case: Shanzhai Mobile Phones.

Liu, Xiande (2010), Organic Regulation and management system of China, power point

presentation at the Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) Workshop, 4-5 February

2010, Bangkok.

Lombard, M., Snyder‐Duch, J., & Bracken, C. C. (2012). Content analysis in mass

communication: Assessment and reporting of intercoder reliability. Human

communication research, 28(4), 587-604.

Malterud, K., Siersma, V. D., & Guassora, A. D. (2016). Sample size in qualitative interview

studies: guided by information power. Qualitative health research, 26(13), 1753-1760.

Marketline Report Store - Organic Food in China. (2017). Retrieved from

https://store.marketline.com/report/ohmf0099--organic-food-in-china/

McCarthy, B. L. (2015). Trends in organic and green food consumption in China: Opportunities

and challenges for regional Australian exporters. Journal of Economic & Social

Policy, 17(1), 6.

Mie, A., Andersen, H. R., Gunnarsson, S., Kahl, J., Kesse-Guyot, E., Rembiałkowska, E., &

Grandjean, P. (2017). Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture:

a comprehensive review. Environmental Health, 16(1), 111.

Muhammad, S., Fathelrahman, E., & Tasbih Ullah, R. U. (2016). The significance of

consumer’s awareness of organic food products in the United Arab

Emirates. Sustainability, 8(9), 833.

Neuendorf, K. A. (2016). The content analysis guidebook. Sage.

Neuman, W. L. (2016). Understanding research. Pearson.

Potter, W. J., & Levine‐Donnerstein, D. (2009). Rethinking validity and reliability in content

analysis.

Qiao, Y. (2011). Organic agriculture development in China. The world of organic agriculture.

Statistics and emerging trends.

Qiao, Yuhui; Setboonsarng, S.; and Halsberg, N. (2009), "PRC Country Study on Organic

Agriculture and the Millennium Development Goals" Forthcoming ADBI Working Paper

2009.

Quantzig. (2018). Five Things You Have to Know before Investing in the Organic Food

Market in China. Retrieved from

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171213005467/en/

Rodrigues, D., Dalmarco, D., Aoqui, C., & Marinho, B. (2016). The meaning of the organic

certification label for the consumer: a cluster analysis. REGE - Revista De Gestão, 23(4),

316-325. doi: 10.1016/j.rege.2016.08.001

Sanders, R. (2016). A market road to sustainable agriculture? Ecological agriculture, green

food and organic agriculture in China. Development and Change, 37(1), 201-226.

Scoones, S., & Elsaesser, L. (2008). Organic agriculture in China: Current situation and

challenges. EU-China Trade Project.

Sheng, J., Shen, L., Qiao, Y., Yu, M., & Fan, B. (2009). Market trends and accreditation

systems for organic food in China. Trends in food science & technology, 20(9), 396-401.

Sheng, Jiping (2009), Market trends and accreditation systems for organic food in China (et

al.), Trends in Food Science and Technology.

Shouying, L., Ruimin, W., Guang, S., & Ting, S. The Historical Transformation of China’s

Agriculture: Productivity Changes and Other Key Features.

Singhal, N. (2017). A Study of Consumer Behavior Towards Organic Food and the

Moderating Effects of Health Consciousness. IUP Journal Of Marketing Management.

Aug2017, 16(3), 45-79.

Sirieix, L., Kledal, P. R., & Sulitang, T. (2011). Organic food consumers' trade‐offs between

local or imported, conventional or organic products: a qualitative study in Shanghai.

International Journal of Consumer Studies, 35(6), 670-678.

Song, T. (2017). Market research and plan for a Chinese fast-food restaurant start-up.

Sullivan-Bolyai, S., Bova, C., & Singh, M. D. (2014). Data-collection methods. Nursing

Research in Canada-E-Book: Methods, Critical Appraisal, and Utilization, 287.

Swiderska, K., Reid, H., Song, Y., Li, J., Mutta, D., Ongogu, P., ... & Barriga, S. (2011, July).

The role of traditional knowledge and crop varieties in adaptation to climate change and

food security in SW China, Bolivian Andes and coastal Kenya. In Proceedings of UNU-

IAS Workshop on Indigenous Peoples, Marginalised Populations and Climate Change:

Vulnerability, Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge, Mexico City, Mexico(pp. 19-21).

Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods:

A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.

Tey, Y. S., Li, E., Bruwer, J., Abdullah, A. M., Brindal, M., Radam, A., ... & Darham, S.

(2014). The relative importance of factors influencing the adoption of sustainable

agricultural practices: a factor approach for Malaysian vegetable farmers. Sustainability

Science, 9(1), 17-29.

Thøgersen, J., & Zhou, Y. (2018). Chinese consumers’ adoption of a ‘green’ innovation –

The case of organic food. Journal Of Marketing Management Mar2012, 28(3-4), 313-

333.

Türk, B., & Erciş, A. (2017). 4A marketing mix impacts on organic food purchase

intention. Serbian Journal Of Management, 12(2), 189-199. doi: 10.5937/sjm12-10785

Van Loo, E., Diem, M., Pieniak, Z., & Verbeke, W. (2013). Consumer attitudes, knowledge,

and consumption of organic yogurt. Journal Of Dairy Science, 96(4), 2118-2129. doi:

10.3168/jds.2012-6262

Wijaya, T. (2017). Organic Knowledge as Antecedent of Purchase Intention on Organic

Food. International Journal Of Business & Management Science. 2017, 7(2), 297-315.

Willer, H., Lernoud, J., Huber, B., & Sahota, A. (2018, February). The world of organic

agriculture.

Yin, S., Wu, L., Du, L., & Chen, M. (2010). Consumers' purchase intention of organic food in

China. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 90(8), 1361-1367.

Zhu, Q., Li, Y., Geng, Y., & Qi, Y. (2013). Green food consumption intention, behaviors and

influencing factors among Chinese consumers. Food Quality and Preference, 28(1), 279-

286.

Students also viewed