Role of Organic Certification in Assuring Clients of the Authenticity and Quality of Organic Products

Reji Kurien Thomas *

Swiss School of Business and Management (Geneva), Switzerland.

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.


Abstract

This study explores how organic certification ensures transparency and confidence in organic food stores. This study examined how organic certification assures customers of the authenticity and quality of organic products, how it maintains supply chain transparency, and how it affects consumer acceptance and market growth. Blended-techniques were used to achieve such aims. Customers, farmers, and certification agencies were surveyed. Industry experts and stakeholders were interviewed extensively. Analyzed organic certification material and reports. The findings show that natural certification helps natural food stores organize transparency and confidence. Certification marks help buyers choose organic items. Verification and auditing contribute to supply chain integrity and fraud prevention through certification. Natural certification further boosts customer trust by ensuring product authenticity and natural standards. Certification marks boost customer trust and readiness to spend top money for natural products. Market growth and organic farming incentives follow. Finally, organic certification ensures transparency and confidence in organic grocery stores. It reassures consumers about organic ingredients' validity and appeal. Policymakers, certifying organizations, and enterprise stakeholders must improve certification methods and communication strategies to increase transparency and accept this in the organic food industry.

Keywords: Organic certification, transparency, trust, food market, natural certification


How to Cite

Thomas, Reji Kurien. 2023. “Role of Organic Certification in Assuring Clients of the Authenticity and Quality of Organic Products”. Asian Journal of Food Research and Nutrition 2 (4):266-73. https://journalajfrn.com/index.php/AJFRN/article/view/49.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Willer H, Schlatter B, Trávníček J, Kemper L, Lernoud J. The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2020. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) & International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM - Organics International); 2020. Available:https://www.arc2020.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/organic-world-2020.pdf

Smith-Spangler C, Brandeau ML, Hunter GE, Bavinger JC, Pearson M, Eschbach PJ, Sundaram V, Liu H, Schirmer P, Stave C, Olkin I, Bravata DM. Are organic foods safer or healthier than conventional alternatives? Annals of Internal Medicine. 2012;157(5):348. Available:https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-5-201209040-00007

Guthman J. Agrarian dreams: The paradox of organic farming in California. University of California Press; 2014.

Hughner RS, McDonagh P, Prothero A, Shultz CJ, Stanton J. Who are organic food consumers? A compilation and review of why people purchase organic food. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. 2007;6(2-3):94-110.

Available:https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.210

Skreli E, Imami D, Chan-Halbrendt C, Canavari M, Zhllima E, Pire E. Assessing consumer preferences and willingness to pay for organic tomatoes in Albania: A conjoint choice experiment study. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research. 2017;15(3):e0114. Available:https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2017153-9889

Castellini G, Savarese M, Castiglioni C, Graffigna G. Organic food consumption in Italy: The role of subjective relevance of food as mediator between organic food choice motivation and frequency of organic food consumption. Sustainability. 2020; 12(13):5367. Available:https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135367

Liu M. The effects of organic certification on shoppers’ purchase intention formation in Taiwan: A multi-group analysis of structural invariance. Sustainability. 2021;14(1):55. Available:https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010055

Fornell C, Larcker DF. Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research. 1981;18(3):382-388. Available:https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313

Preacher KJ, Rucker DD, Hayes AF. Addressing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research. 2007;42(1):185-227. Available:https://doi.org/10.1080/00273170701341316

Chiu JL, Li M, Chiu CL. Effectiveness of food traceability system: Chinese consumer food purchase intention during the pandemic. International Journal of Electronic Finance. 2023;1(1):1.

Available:https://doi.org/10.1504/ijef.2023.10048535

Sun S, Wang X, Zhang Y. Sustainable traceability in the food supply chain: The impact of consumer willingness to pay. Sustainability. 2017;9(6):999. Available:https://doi.org/10.3390/su9060999

Domazet I, Djokić N. Food safety from consumer perspective. Establishing Food Security and Alternatives to International Trade in Emerging Economies. 2018;316-336. Available:https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2733-6.ch015

Cavite HJ, Mankeb P, Suwanmaneepong S. Community enterprise consumers’ intention to purchase organic rice in Thailand: The moderating role of product traceability knowledge. British Food Journal. 2021;124(4):1124-1148.

Available:https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj-02-2021-0148

Hong J, Zhou Z, Li X, Lau KH. Supply chain quality management and firm performance in China's food industry—the moderating role of social Co-regulation. International Journal of Logistics Management, The. 2020;31(1):99-122.

Available:https://doi.org/10.1108/ijlm-05-2018-0124

Wowak KD, Craighead CW, Ketchen DJ. Tracing bad products in supply chains: The roles of temporality, supply chain permeation, and product information ambiguity. Journal of Business Logistics. 2016;37(2):132-151.

Available:https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12125