KENT STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE REGARDING ORGANIC FOOD A thesis submitted to the Kent State University College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Sereen Monged Zawahri Krasuna RD, LD May 2016 © Copyright, 2016 by Sereen Monged Zawahri Krasuna RD, LD All Rights Reserved ii A thesis written by Sereen Monged Zawahri Krasuna, RD, LD B., The University of Akron, 2012 M., Kent State University, 2016 Approved by _____________________________, Director, Master’s Thesis Committee Eun-Jeong (Angie) Ha _____________________________, Member, Master’s Thesis Committee Karen Lowry Gordon _____________________________, Member, Master’s Thesis Committee Jamie Matthews Accepted by _____________________________, Director, School of Health Sciences Lynne E. Rowan _____________________________, Interim Dean, College of Education, Health and Mark Kretovics Human Services iii ZAWAHRI KRASUNA, SEREEN MONGED, M., RD, LD, May 2016 NUTRITION KENT STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND KNOWLEDGE REGARDING ORGANIC FOOD (89 pp.) Director of Thesis: Eun-Jeong (Angie) Ha, Ph. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of organic food buyers among college students (N = 980). This study also examined perception and knowledge between organic food purchasers and non-purchasers.
An anonymous electronic survey was distributed through the university’s email system. The email invitation to participate was sent to 8,927 university students. The survey consisted of five sections designed to investigate: (a) demographics, (b) purchasing, (c) availability, (d) perception, (e) knowledge. There were significant between buyers and non-buyers of organic food as buyers had a higher mean knowledge of organic food than non-buyers.
Chi-square and t-tests were used to run significances between buyers and non-buyers to examine perception, knowledge, and demographics. Results also indicated that as both groups perceive organic food as healthier and nutritionally superior to organic food, barriers stand in the way of purchasing such as cost. There was no significant knowledge difference between buyers and non-buyers. Data showed the most significant reasons buyers do purchase organic food is due to being health conscious (76%) and also for nutritional quality (64%).
Results indicated that both groups cited websites as the highest used resource to learn about organic food. Results also indicated that gender did not have an effect on purchasing organic food but class ranking did have a significant effect. Data also showed significance between ethnicity and purchasing organic food. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr.
Ha, for all of her guidance, encouragement, and assistance while writing my thesis. Secondly, I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Gordon and Jamie Matthews, for their much-appreciated feedback throughout this process and assistance with developing my survey. Thank you to those who took the time to take my survey.
I have to say a huge thank you to my husband, Clay Krasuna, for his patience, his time reading over my edits, and his undying faith in me. I especially have to thank my parents, Monged and Randa Zawahri, for all their support and encouragement during this time. They have instilled in me to “aim high” and that’s what I have done and continue to do. Also, I would like to acknowledge my aunt, Dr.
Neda Zawahri, and my mother-in-law, Patsy Corpas, for their love of organic food which encouraged me to study the topic for my thesis. I would also like to thank my siblings, Zaid Zawahri, Sabrina Zawahri, George Zawahri, and Michael Corpas, for reading over my thesis and providing feedback. I cannot forget to thank my entire family for all their encouragement and love during this time. As well as the help I greatly appreciated receiving from Luma Al Masarweh, Odeh Halaseh, Suparna Navale, and Sara Van Newkirk.
The most important thank you goes to God for allowing me to go on this journey through life. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. iv LIST OF FIGURES. vii LIST OF TABLES.
4 Organic Food and Beverages Regulations. 8 Summary of Regulations. 13 Barriers to Choosing Organic. 16 Characteristics of Buyers.
36 Barriers for Purchasing Organic Foods. 40 Resources Used for Organic Food Information. 41 Reasons for Organic Food Purchasing. 43 Organic Food Purchasing Among Buyers.
51 Barriers for Purchasing Organic Food. 55 Resources Used for Organic Food Information. 55 Reasons for Organic Food Purchasing. 56 Organic Food Purchasing Among Buyers.
ORGANIC FOOD SURVEY. FOLLOW UP E-MAIL. KEY FOR KNOWLEDGE TEST. 82 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.
USDA Organic Seal. Organic logos of countries with which the U. Resources college student buyers use to learn about organic food. Resources college student non-buyers use to learn about organic food.
Reasons college student buyers purchase organic food (N = 554) .44 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. General Characteristics of Organic Food Buyers and Non-Buyers in College Students (N = 928). Comparison of Perception Regarding Organic Food Between Buyers and Non-Buyers Among College Students (N = 892). Comparison of Knowledge Score of Organic Food Among Buyers and Non-Buyers In College Students (N = 928).
Comparison of Knowledge Score of Organic Food Among Buyers and Non-Buyers In College Students (N = 928). Barriers to Purchasing Organic Food Between Buyers and Non-Buyers Among College Student. Miles Willing to Travel to Purchase Organic Food Among College Student Buyers and Non-Buyers (N = 894). Organic Foods Purchased by College Student Buyers (N = 554).
Organic Foods Purchased by College Student Buyers (N = 554). Organic Foods Purchased by College Student Buyers (N = 554) .47 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Organic foods and beverages are grown and raised without antibiotics, added hormones, and most pesticides (Introduction to Organic Practices, 2015; U. Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2015). Organic foods must meet guidelines to be coined organic and receive a seal by the USDA (Organic Labeling, n.; The Organic Seal, n.
There are misconceptions regarding organic food and other marketing terms used to sell foods. The word “natural” and “whole” are commonly mistaken for being organic and with no clear-cut definition. “Natural” and “whole foods” are not regulated by any governing body although the term “organic” is. In 1997, the organic food industry sales totaled $3.
Fast-forward to 2010 and these sales increased to $26. Even with the large increase in sales, flipping land from conventional to organic agriculture takes time. The time line for a farmland to convert to growing organic food that is sellable according to USDA is 3 years (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009; Greene et al. There have been a plethora of research studies completed looking at what motivates people to purchase organic foods.
Consumers’ perception of organic food and any benefits of it have been assessed. Education, health, and income have been noted as motivating factors. Summarizing the results of research on consumers, it has been noted that education is the most consistent motivational factor in regards to chances of purchasing organic (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009). 1 2 Many college students are transitioning from living with their family to living on their own.
With this comes the responsibility of the students to make their own food choices (Papadaki, Hondros, Scott, & Kapsokefalou, 2007). Numerous factors affect food choices of college students. It has been seen in the literature that college students have healthier eating patterns with more knowledge of dietary guidelines (Kolodinsky, Harvey-Berino, Berlin, Johnson, & Reynolds, 2007). Reading food labels does affect diet habits among college students (Deshpande, Basil, & Basil, 2009).
No significant influence on healthy eating in regards to taste, preparation, and price was found in one study, which evaluated what variables motivate college students to eat healthy (Deshpande et al. Consensus in research summarizes that knowledge has a large influence on college students’ food habits. Problem Statement Sales of organic food have seen double-digit growth since the 1990s (Overview, 2015). According to research, the most consistent motivational factor in organic food purchasing is education (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009).
The more education consumers have, the higher becomes the probability of them buying organic food (Dimitri & Oberholtzer, 2009). This research finding places college students at a higher chance of organic food purchasing and a greater probability to be the future of the organic food market. However, current research is limited in regards to organic food purchasing of college students. Even though this population is limited in the research, there are numerous studies focusing on other populations’ perceptions.
Therefore, further investigation is needed to understand organic food purchasing behavior in college 3 students and to examine their knowledge and perception of organic foods and beverages and how they believe this affects their diet and health. Purpose Statement The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of organic food buyers among college students. This study also examined perception and knowledge between organic food buyers and non-buyers. Hypothesis It was hypothesized that college students who purchased organic food perceived their food as healthier than college students who do not purchase organic food.
It was hypothesized that college students who purchased organic food had more knowledge regarding organic food than college students who do not purchase organic food. Operational Definitions College students: an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled full-time at Kent State University during the Spring 2016 semester. Conventional food(s): foods and beverages that are not organic, not labeled as organic, and not raised organically. Knowledge: understanding one acquires from education and/or experiences.
Organic foods and beverages/Organic food(s)/Organic products/Organic items: foods and beverages that are grown/produced using regulated agriculture set forth by the United States Department of Agriculture. Perception: how one understands a topic. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW Organic Food and Beverages Regulations Organic food is coined as food without pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and genetically modified organisms (GMO). These foods are grown and produced in ways that conserve the environment and reuse resources on the farms.
No GMO seeds can be used and livestock cannot consume feed with GMO components in them. The process of overturning conventional farmland to organic farmland takes time and requires mandatory inspections. The land intended to be used for organic crops cannot have any prohibited substances and materials on it, which are listed in the Code of Federal Regulations (U. Department of Agriculture, 2015), for 36 months before harvesting (Can GMOs be used in Organic Products, 2013; Introduction to Organic Practices, 2015; Organic Agriculture, 2015).
Certification There are specific regulations for the transition from farmers all the way to the table. Food handlers and organic farmers have organic standards to uphold by the USDA, who also requires mandatory certification for farmers or companies who have over $5,000 in organic sales. More than 30 foreign programs and about 50 programs in the US between state and private, have received accreditation from the USDA. When processors and farmers apply for eligibility to become certified, agents who certify programs review the applications which allows farmers and processors to label their items as organic with the USDA’s labeling regulations.
Then onsite inspections are 4 5 completed annually by qualified inspectors to ensure organic operations follow protocol (Organic Agriculture, 2015; Organic Certification, 2014). Regulatory Laws There are regulations in place by multiple states and private groups, such as the Organic Foods Production Act, which was put into place by Congress in 1990 to provide a national standard for organic products (Kremen, Greene, & Hanson, n. Due to the high demand and influx of organic food sales since the 1990s, the USDA was prompted in 2002 to take action to create the National Organic Program (NOP). This program introduced uniform standards to be followed by farmers and handlers.
The NOP provided support for organic processors and farmers while also providing assurance for consumers (Kremen et al.; Organic Certification, 2014; Overview, 2015). Agriculture Regulations There are regulations in regards to the soil, livestock, quality of the water used, food additives, and pest control on farms which process organic products.