Factors influencing the perception of organic certification logos in Turkey

Consumers’ perceptions on organic certification logos and the factors influencing these perceptions were explored. Data from surveys conducted in major cities of Turkey revealed that organic food consumers had little knowledge about logos, although the declared level of trust in organic logos was high. According to ordered logit models, consumer’s perceptions on organic certification logos were influenced by purchasing frequency and weight of organic foods in total food consumption. Dummy variables representing additional private certification company logos as well were generally found to have a significant effect on logo perception. This result suggests that consumers’ attitudes towards these logos and towards the governmental logo are not the same. Female and older people were more sceptical about the trustworthiness of the logos. While the credibility of the logos and the standards and control systems underlying the logos increased as frequency of purchasing organic food increased, those consumers who prefer organic open markets for buying organic food were hesitant to trust the credibility of the organic certification logos. The mandatory governmental logo and the underlying standards are trusted more than the private company logos. However, the difference of the attitudes toward logos decreases when the control system is in question. When a comparison between perceptions towards labels including different additional certification companies’ logos is made, the additional logo was found to affect the stated preferences more negatively when the companies were foreign. Enhanced interest and trust in the organic certification logos among consumers would foment the development of the organic sector, and the findings of this paper serve as an input for the achievement of this aim.