Drivers of organic food choice in Germany - the case of young adults

The purpose of this paper is to explore the values that underlie young adults’ purchase motivation of organic food. Online chat-based laddering interviews were conducted with 30 organic and non-organic consumers. A means-end chain analysis of the laddering interviews revealed several values of young adults that are relevant for organic food purchase. Values that were found in relation to organic food purchase were security, universalism, hedonism and benevolence. Values related to non-purchase of organic food were security, power, self-direction and hedonism. The results of this study show that both egoistic and altruistic values are relevant for young adults’ organic food purchase intention. When it comes to motivating young adults to become organic consumers, particularly the reasons for not buying organic food ‘too high prices’ and ‘lack of trust’ should be considered when developing welltargeted communication strategies.