Congress Topic 4, Theme 10

Health and nutrition

Within this theme three sessions are planned, namely:

A subplenum on health, quality, and nutritional aspects of organic consumption. This subplenum explores the available evidence as well as advantages and shortfalls of the methods used for current research into nutritional value and health-related activity of organic food. Horizon scanning and more philosophical papers evaluating the concept of 'organic food quality' are welcome to balance the program.

A session on health claims for organic foods. This session will include presentations on recent research studying the effect of food production systems and their components (fertility management, crop protection, rotational position and variety choice) on (a) the composition of foods/feeds and (b) health impacts in experimental animals, livestock and humans consuming such foods/feeds.

A workshop which should be used as a space to present work in progress and to debate questions such as the suitability and deficiencies of currently available analytical and holistic assessment methods, the choice of parameters measured or ethical questions related to animal and human studies.

Congress Topic 4, Theme 11

Understanding consumption

In this theme we look more closely at some of the factors that affect organic consumption; that is, both changes in the availability and supply of organic foods as well as changes in demand. As the market for organic food in Europe has grown there have been many changes in the way in which the market works. For some products the supply chain has come to resemble more closely the conventional food supply chain, there is more widespread availability of organics and the market for processed organic foods has grown rapidly – in some areas. Studies of the organic food consumer have extended to include the occasional consumer and to explore in more detail the factors that encourage consumers to move into and out of the market. In this Theme we will explore some of these evolving characteristics and their implications for our understanding of organic consumption.

The following sessions will be included in the theme:

• Understanding of organic consumption (sub plenum)
• The point of sales – bottleneck for success and failure
• Workshop on consumption
  
  

Congress Topic 4, Theme 12

Measuring the trends

There is no doubt that the consumption of organic food has increased over the last decade. However, the scale of growth and the precise figures in terms of turnover or household expenditure behind the organic consumption is difficult to estimate.

In this light the session aims to give information about used practises in measuring the private organic consumption and consumer prices by private household panels or retailer panels. Examples from few European countries will illustrate used methods as well as show recent developments in the private consumption of organic food. Furthermore obstacles and future challenges with regard to methodological issues will be discussed.

As in established organic markets, the distribution of organic food is quite well organised, main growth dynamic in the organic demand in future will been expected from the so called ‘occasional organic buyer’. In the last year several research projects focused on this consumer segment. The theme will introduce the main differences of this group compared with ‘regular organic buyers’ and derive consequences for marketing change.

The following sessions will be included in the theme:

• Future trends in organic consumption (subplenum)
• How to measure organic production
• Target group: the occasional consumer