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Purpose -Seeks to provide answers to two questions: is willingness to pay (WTP) for organic products influenced by the same set of factors that affect purchasing of conventional foods? Does WTP for organic products vary according to different food categories? Design/methodology/approach -Purchasers were approached during their food shopping in retail chains in Athens in July 2003. Sample inclusion is based on real awareness of the term "organic". The questionnaire included in its first part a number of criteria that influence consumers when buying food. In the second part respondents were asked to indicate if any food products they buy were organic and to state how much more they were willing to pay. Information from the first part was analysed with factor analysis. With the help of t-value analysis, it was examined whether there is a statistically significant difference per product category between consumers who are willing to pay and consumers who are unwilling to pay in terms of the factors identified. Findings -Consumers' stated WTP and the type and magnitude of factors that affect it differ according to the organic food category. These factors include food quality and security, trust in the certification, and, for some products, brand name. Organoleptic characteristics, prices and consumers' socio-demographic profiles do not constitute determinants of organic WTP. Research limitations/implications -Organic types of some fresh as well as processed food products do not exist in the Greek market. Moreover, the large number of t-tests conducted might result in Type I error. Originality/value -Purchasing of organic food follows "basic-highest frequency", "basic-average frequency", and "non-basic" discrimination. The most frequently consumed organic products are some basic components of the Greek diet. Only the factors "quality and security" and "trust" play an important role in defining WTP for most organic food categories. Consumers' attitudes towards both organic and PDO/PGI certifications converge towards a perception of high quality food. Approximately 26 percent of the sample exhibited a U-shaped WTP trend for 14 out of 16 organic food categories in increments from 45 to 120 percent. All the above elements of originality are particularly valuable for organic food firms and policy/decision makers.

The Schwartz's Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ) has extensively been used in personal values research. The present survey validates and tests in a value-based segmentation task a 17-item PVQ-based inventory that includes consumer values related to organic food purchasing, using a nationally representative sample of 1043 Greek consumers. The main assumption of the survey is that consumer segments that place more emphasis on specific organic food-related values would present different magnitude of beliefs and purchasing behaviour towards organic products. Two 2nd-order value factors (named ‘individualistic’ and ‘societal’, respectively) emerged from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses comprising 14 out of the initial 17 PVQ values. In the next phase of the analysis, hierarchical clustering was implemented based on those factors. Through the clusters emerged, a clear relation between consumers' ‘societal’ (universalism and benevolence) value similarity, higher frequency of organic purchasing and higher likelihood of organic-related beliefs was clearly identified. This fact supports the applicability of the PVQ typology in predicting consumer behaviour in various product contexts

The European meat industry is confronted with substantial changes of consumer preferences in relation to the type and quantity of meat in everyday diet. One of the main reasons behind these changes is the public impression that meat is a “dangerous” to consume food. This feeling is the result of recent food scares where meat played a central role and their effect on consumers' perceptions about meat safety. The research at hand explores the market potential of organic meat in Greece and emphasizes the perceptions about meat consumption held by organic consumers as opposed to those held by non-consumers of organic foods. It is expected that organic consumers will be more interested in a series of quality attributes of meat commonly found in its organic type, in comparison to non-consumers of organic food. However, the main finding of the survey is that consumer demands in relation to meat quality and safety are particularly high, irrespective of meat's production method. The research concludes that the particularly low consumption of organic meat in Greece should be partially attributed to its insufficient differentiation in consumers' minds