Whose salad is organic? An attribute segmentation perspective-evidence from Albania

Organic agriculture remains a black box attribute when considering consumer behaviour and preferences in developing countries. This is due partially to a lack of awareness about such products in addition to a lack of trust in relation to the certification bodies responsible. Meanwhile, increasing demand for these products comes as a result of food intolerance and hygiene safety issues. Through this framework it is crucial to clarify the concept from the consumer perspective. The objective of this paper is to understand consumer perceptions regarding organic attributes and identify the characteristics considered by consumers when buying organic products. The relative importance index shows the sensitivity of Albanian consumers in relation to the organic attribute, mainly in fruit and vegetables. Through the Contingent Valuation Method it is estimated that the consumer will pay an average premium of 27.7% for organic vegetables and 28.3% for organic fruit. The segmentation approach indicates that consumers linking organic attributes with health expressed a high willingness to pay for organic products. However, the majority use price as the main indicator of the quality of the product they consume; a higher price meaning an organic product. This conclusion is important in developing countries where consumers display low trust in food safety mechanisms and institutions.

Parole chiave:; Willingness to Pay; Organic Product; Contingent valuation; Clustering

• Farewell Editorial for the Issue 3/2024 Maurizio Canavari, Sedef Akgüngör, Valeria Borsellino, Alessio Cavicchi, Catherine Chan, Alessio Ishizaka, Simona Naspetti, Søren Marcus Pedersen, Stefanella Stranieri, in Economia agro-alimentare 3/2025 pp.7
  DOI: 10.3280/ecag2024oa19047
• Analyzing consumer perceptions about food safety by applying the food-related lifestyle approach Iliriana Miftari, Drini Imami, Sina Ahmadi Kaliji, Maurizio Canavari, Ekrem Gjokaj, in Italian Journal of Food Safety /2024
  DOI: 10.4081/ijfs.2024.11315
• Exploring consumer segments: integrating food-related lifestyles and perceptions of organic food in Kosovo Drini Imami, Sina Ahmadi Kaliji, Iliriana Miftari, Maurizio Canavari, Ekrem Gjokaj, in Organic Agriculture /2025
  DOI: 10.1007/s13165-024-00483-4
• Who is Paying More for Organic Food? - Evidence from a Developing Country Considering Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Consumers Irena Boboli, Ledia Thoma, Romeo Mano, in WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS 104/2023 pp.1167
  DOI: 10.37394/23207.2023.20.104
• The future of organic certification: potential impacts of the inclusion of Participatory Guarantee Systems in the European organic regulation Giovanna Sacchi, Lavinia Romanello, Maurizio Canavari, in Agricultural and Food Economics 2/2024
  DOI: 10.1186/s40100-023-00294-3
• Contingent valuation versus choice experiment: estimating the willingness to pay for organic oranges in Vietnam Nhat Bach Ho, Dut Van Vo, Chris Rowley, in Journal of Trade Science /2024 pp.268
  DOI: 10.1108/JTS-02-2024-0010
• A Bibliographic Analysis of Publications on Willingness to Pay for Organic Food Nhat Bach Ho, Vo Van Dut, in VNU University of Economics and Business /2023 pp.113
  DOI: 10.57110/vnujeb.v3i6.243

Elena Kokthi, Irina Canco, Eneida Topulli, Whose salad is organic? An attribute segmentation perspective-evidence from Albania in "Economia agro-alimentare" 2/2021, pp 1-26, DOI: 10.3280/ecag2-2021oa12285