PERCEPTION AND AWARENESS OF CONSUMERS TOWARDS ORGANIC FOOD IN TIRUNELVELI DISTRICT

Abstract

Organic food promotes a balance of human, other living organisms and the nature. It also prevents
artificial preservatives and ensures the originality of food. This prevents excessive use of harmful
ingredients and thereby ensures safety of our health. This study is an attempt to ascertain the
awareness of consumers towards organic foods in Tirunelveli District. The result of the study shows
that lot of problems are faced by the consumers while purchasing the organic food in the markets. It is
not easy for consumers to go to market daily for purchasing organic food because consumer buys in
bulk. It is also found that these products are not easily available in the rural area; they are available
mostly in urban areas. So, availability of organic food also affects the choice of the consumers. The
other main reason for reluctance to purchase organic food items is that organic food is more
expensive when compared to non-organic food. So, people with low level of income cannot afford to
meet the expenses on these products. Even the organic consumers do not purchase more quantity of
organic products. The varieties of organic food which are available in the market are also limited.
There is a lack of awareness about organic food among rural consumers.