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Exploring the social value of organic food: a qualitative study in F rance
Author(s) -
Costa Sandrine,
Zepeda Lydia,
Sirieix Lucie
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of consumer studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.775
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1470-6431
pISSN - 1470-6423
DOI - 10.1111/ijcs.12100
Subject(s) - value (mathematics) , symbolic interactionism , qualitative research , marketing , psychology , social identity theory , sustainability , social psychology , sociology , social group , business , social science , mathematics , ecology , statistics , biology
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether organic foods are used to signal social identity, class or status, i.e. if they have social value. Our analysis is based on two sociological approaches: B ourdieu's theory of social reproduction and symbolic interactionism. This paper analyses three research questions: (1) does organic food have social symbolism?; (2) does the social value of organic food depend on the venue where it is obtained?; (3) are other symbols associated with the social value of organic food? To answer these questions, we gather qualitative data from organic food shoppers' perceptions of the social value of organic food, using a qualitative study, with four group interviews in M ontpellier ( F rance) with a total of 20 participants. Results indicate that organic food has a social value for the participants in our group interviews. This social value depends on the venue (community‐supported agriculture, market or supermarket) where organic foods are purchased and also on whether consumers or producers exhibit additional green behaviours to validate their commitment to sustainability. Our results imply that a quantitative study on social value of organic food would be useful to investigate these findings in a larger sample since these findings have several marketing and advertising implications.