Romania’s Organic Food Market: The Role of Information in an Emerging Sector

Abstract

The level of consumption of organic food has registered a rapidly increase in the last decade in the European Union, due to a growing health and environmental consciousness. Romania, as a member of the European Union, is acknowledging a wide process of development towards this new food market. So, having as a starting point the EU accession year of 2007, Romania’s agricultural and food sector has passed to a new level, characterized by the growth in numbers of organic land and animal farms and also by the branching out of organic food in supermarkets and dedicated stores. Therefore, this study aims to investigate Romania’s market positioning in relation with two main aspects: consumer attitude (reported to organic agriculture and food) and consumer awareness (basic knowledge concerning organic food sector). In this respect, key aspects regarding the organic market are highlighted, such as: evolution of the area cultivated with organic crops, main producing regions, main organic food assortments, certification, guarantees and labelling. All these indicators are analysed in a close relation with the level of consumption of organic food at a national level. The overall research identified a series of issues that Romania’s organic market is facing, issues that are founded on consumers’ lack of information regarding the organic sector combined with economic aspects and social beliefs. These assumptions explain the frequent confusions that consumers make between organic food and conventional food, the misinterpretation of organic guarantees and the need for a well build informational system that can meet consumer’s knowledge needs.