Exploring drivers and barriers for organic poultry consumption

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify drivers and barriers for the demand of organic poultry to provide recommendations for market actors. Design/methodology/approach 644 consumers were interviewed through computer-assisted self-interviews in four regions (north, south, east and west) of Germany in front of conventional supermarkets and organic food shops. The survey data were analysed differentiating between three consumer segments. In addition to descriptive analysis, an explorative factor analysis was conducted and a multinomial logit model was applied. Findings The results show that consumer preferences, attitudes and determinants of purchase decisions differ significantly between consumer groups. Price sensitivity, appreciation of animal-welfare, belief in altruistic benefits of organic poultry production, as well as the influence of media reports are important determinants for the purchase decision of different consumer segments. Practical implications This study provides information for market actors regarding which strategies to adopt to increase the sales potential of organic poultry indifferent consumer segments. Originality/value The organic poultry market has great potential as it can meet the growing demand for healthy and sustainable products which are produced in an animal-friendly way. However, its market share still lies far below the overall organic market share for food products in total. Reasons for the low market share were not explored in-depth until now.