Cross-National Analysis of Consumer Preferences for Organic Food in Portugal, Spain, and Greece - Socio-Demographic Drivers and Attribute Importance

Sep 30, 2026

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Consumer demand for organic products has grown substantially in Southern Europe, driven by health, environmental, and ethical concerns. Understanding cross-country differences in attribute preferences and sociodemographic influences is critical to inform marketing strategies and policy interventions targeting organic food consumption. A comparative survey of regular organic consumers (250 per country) in Portugal, Spain, and Greece used a culturally adapted Best–Worst Scaling questionnaire. Socio-demographic variables and ten attributes were analysed using MANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis tests, PCA, and cluster analysis to reveal distinct national and demographic preference patterns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Growth of organic demand in Southern Europe

Study context and rationale

Abstract

Survey design and analysis methods

Cross-country and demographic drivers

Article Cross-National Analysis of Consumer Preferences for Organic Food in Portugal, Spain, and Greece: Socio-Demographic Drivers and Attribute Importance Teresa Madureira 1, Fernando Nunes 1, Fernando Mata 1,2, Mariastela Vrontaki 3, Athanasios Manouras 4, Michalis Koureas 5, Eleni Malissiova 3, * and José Veiga 6 Received: 5 December 2025 Revised: 22 December 2025 Accepted: 24 December 2025 Published: 3 January 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Centre for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability (CISAS), Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC), 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal; [teresa@esa.ipvc.pt](teresa@esa.ipvc.pt) (T.M.); [fnunes@esa.ipvc.pt](fnunes@esa.ipvc.pt) (F.N.) 2 Estação Zootécnica Nacional, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, 2500-424 Vale de Santarém, Portugal 3 Food of Animal Origin Laboratory, Animal Science Department, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece; [svrontaki@uth.gr](svrontaki@uth.gr) 4 Food Chemistry, Biochemistry and Technology Laboratory, Nutrition and Dietetics Department, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; [amanouras@uth.gr](amanouras@uth.gr) 5 Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece; [mkoureas@uth.gr](mkoureas@uth.gr) 6 Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão (ESTG), Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC), 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal; [jmcveiga@estg.ipvc.pt](jmcveiga@estg.ipvc.pt) * [Correspondence: malissiova@uth.gr](Correspondence: malissiova@uth.gr) Abstract Consumer demand for organic products has grown substantially in Southern Europe, driven by health, environmental, and ethical concerns. Understanding cross-country differences in attribute preferences and sociodemographic influences is critical to inform marketing strategies and policy interventions targeting organic food consumption. To perform a comparative study across Portugal, Spain, and Greece, regular organic consumers were surveyed (250 per country) using a culturally adapted Best–Worst Scaling questionnaire. Socio-demographic variables and ten organic food attributes were analysed using MANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis tests, PCA, and cluster analysis. Spanish and Portuguese consumers prioritised health, environmental impact, absence of GMOs, and certification, while Greeks emphasised price, appearance, taste expectation, and nutrition. Age, gender, and education influenced attribute importance differently across countries, revealing distinct national consumption patterns and preferences. Findings highlight substantial heterogeneity: health and environmental attributes dominate in Portugal and Spain, reflecting strong certification and sustainability awareness, whereas Greek consumers focus on value, sensory qualities, and nutrition, indicating lower organic uptake and stronger price sensitivity. Older and more educated consumers valued certification and provenance, women emphasised health and environmental benefits, and men responded more to convenience and status cues. These patterns suggest that marketing and policy strategies should combine universal motivators with tailored approaches addressing national, demographic, and cultural differences to enhance organic consumption. Cross-country differences reveal the need for context-specific interventions promoting organic food while leveraging common health and sustainability drivers. Keywords: organic food; consumer preferences; Greece; Portugal; Spain; multivariate analysis; sustainability 1. Introduction Driven by a complex interplay of socio-economic, environmental, and health-related concerns, global consumer demand for organic products has witnessed a marked and sustained increase in recent years. This shift refle

FAQs

Which countries were compared in the study of organic food preferences?

The study compares Portugal, Spain, and Greece by surveying regular organic consumers in each country (250 per country).

How were consumers’ attribute preferences measured?

Preferences were measured using a culturally adapted Best–Worst Scaling questionnaire that assessed ten organic food attributes.

What major differences were found among the three countries’ consumers?

Spanish and Portuguese consumers prioritized health, environmental impact, absence of GMOs, and certification, while Greek consumers emphasized price, appearance, taste expectations, and nutrition.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Patrick