The role of trust in the relationship between consumers, producers and retailers of organic food: A sector-based approach

Given current environmental concerns, the organic food market is an important issue in terms of sustainability. The consolidation of this market is based on trust. Many consumers rely on partial information to assess the quality of organic food and cannot determine its authenticity with certainty. They are led to trust the actors of the organic food chain and the government. In addition, numerous industrial and sanitary scandals have highlighted the need for the actors of the sector to establish relationships based on trust and transparency in order to guarantee the traceability of products and to protect the health of consumers. This research examines the impact of trust and confidence in producers and retailers on the intention to purchase organic food. To address this research issue, we conducted an online questionnaire survey of 316 organic food consumers in France. The results show the central role of quality as a strategy for building and maintaining trust with producers and re-tailers. They show for the first time the positive impact of trust in producers on trust in retailers. The results of this research allow us to provide advice to growers and retailers to maintain trust and promote purchase intent.

Automated summary

In light of current environmental concerns, the organic food market and its sustainability have become significant issues. The consolidation of this market is heavily reliant on trust, particularly between producers, retailers, and consumers. Quality plays a central role in building and maintaining trust within the organic food chain.