The organic food market in the post COVID-19 era: evidence from northern Greece

Abstract

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, there have been numerous consequences on the consumption of organic food products worldwide. Previous research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated interest for organic food on a worldwide level, due to a re-orientation of consumer attitudes towards healthier alternatives, increased environmental awareness, sensitivity for animal welfare and more. In addition, the Ukrainian-Russian war has caused major food shortages, especially in European countries importing food raw materials from Ukraine. For this dissertation, primary quantitative research has been conducted, along with descriptive statistics analysis to assess the impact of both events in the Northern Greece market. The research sample was divided into three (3) groups, according to the primary customer motive of organic food consumption. Then, possible connections between these and the buying factors of "Environment", "Personal Health", "Taste" and "Moral Values" was explored. The findings indicate the existence of numerous links between organic food consumption and demographic characteristics, such as educational level and the annual income.