Environmental and Sensory Perceptions, Not Food Safety, Tied to Organic Purchase Intentions

Organic food purchase intentions among consumers in an emerging market were associated with environmental concern, perceived naturalness, sensory appeal, and nutritional content, but not with food safety concern, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. The research, carried out by a team affiliated with Chilean and Peruvian universities, examined how five dimensions of food perception relate to consumer attitudes toward organic food and, in turn, to the intention to buy such products.

The authors set out to address a gap they identify in the literature: food perception is understood as a multidimensional evaluation covering sensory, nutritional, safety, and sustainability attributes, yet the relative contribution of each dimension to attitude formation and subsequent purchase intention had remained understudied in emerging market contexts. Their model proposed six relationships linking the five perceptual dimensions to attitude, and attitude to purchase intention.

Data were collected through an online survey of 255 consumers, recruited using a non-probabilistic convenience and snowball sampling approach. The team then applied partial least squares structural equation modeling, estimating the model with 5,000 bootstrap subsamples to test the six hypothesized relationships.

Five of the six hypotheses were supported by the data. Environmental concern, perceived natural content, sensory appeal, and nutritional content were each significantly associated with consumers’ attitudes toward organic food. Food safety concern, by contrast, showed no significant association with attitude.

Taken together, the five perception dimensions explained 64.5 percent of the variance in attitude toward organic food. Attitude, in turn, was strongly associated with purchase intention, a result the authors describe as supporting its central role within the proposed model.

The study’s conclusion is that food perception operates through an integrated, multidimensional assessment rather than through single attributes. The authors highlight the relevance of considering multiple food perception dimensions when examining attitudes toward organic food and purchase-related responses, rather than framing any single attribute as the decisive factor.

Because the design is cross-sectional, the findings capture perceptions and intentions at a single point in time and do not establish causal relationships between the measured constructs. The reported results are associations within the surveyed sample, not demonstrated effects of perception on behavior.

Several further caveats apply. The sample was recruited through convenience and snowball sampling rather than a probability-based design, which limits how far the results can be generalized to the broader population of the emerging market studied or to other markets. The survey relied on self-reported perceptions and intentions rather than observed purchasing behavior, so the link to actual purchases remains untested within this study.

The authors also note, in the article’s disclaimer, that all claims expressed are solely those of the researchers and do not necessarily represent the views of their affiliated organizations or the publisher. The article was received on 30 June 2026, accepted on 28 September 2026, and appears in the journal’s section on Nutrition and Sustainable Diets.

Within those limits, the study contributes evidence that, among the surveyed consumers, attitudes toward organic food were associated with a combination of environmental, sensory, nutritional, and naturalness perceptions, while food safety concern played no measurable role in that association. The authors present the work as a step toward treating food perception as an integrated, multidimensional construct in research on organic food attitudes and purchase intention in emerging markets.

Subject of Research: Consumer perceptions and purchase intentions for organic food in an emerging market

Article Title: Beyond food safety: environmental and sensory drivers of organic food purchase intention in an emerging market

Article References: Veas-González, I., Escobar-Farfán, M., Cuevas-Lizama, J., Bernal-Peralta, J., & García-Salirrosas, E. E. (2026). Beyond food safety: environmental and sensory drivers of organic food purchase intention in an emerging market. Frontiers in Nutrition, 13, Article 1924574. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1924574

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1924574

Keywords: organic food, purchase intention, food perception, environmental concern, sensory appeal, nutritional content, food safety concern, consumer attitude, emerging market, structural equation modeling, sustainable diets, survey research