Consumer’s knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding organic foods in relation to demographic factors of Punjab

Abstract

The present study was carried out with an aim to study the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding organic foods on a total of 120 selected subjects (aged between 35 and 45 years) belonging to middle income group (MIG) and high income group (HIG) from two cities of Punjab namely Ludhiana and Patiala The questionnaire consisted of various statements pertaining to knowledge, attitude and practice regarding organic foods. The major sources of information regarding organic foods were found to be television and radio, followed by newspaper, friends, organic shops, farmers and labels, values being 28.3, 18.3, 15.8, 15.8, 12.5 and 9.1%, respectively. Majority of the respondents (88%) strongly agreed that organic foods were healthier than conventional foods. Organic foods were found to be consumed by 96.7 and 93.3% percent of the MIG and HIG subjects respectively of Ludhiana city whereas in Patiala city corresponding values were 83.3 and 90% respectively. There was no significant difference in the overall knowledge and attitude score of both MIG and HIG respondents. However, a statistically significant (p≤0.05) difference was observed in the overall practice score of respondents belonging to MIG and HIG. Hence, it can be concluded that as the income increases the practice of using organic foods also increases.