Organic consumption and consumer participation in food community networks

Abstract

Due to improvements in welfare, new food consumption concerns have emerged in Europe. Such concerns go beyond issues related to food safety and market prices. Solidarity Purchasing Groups (GASs) are one way to combine utilitarian and ethical aspects: in these groups the trade in organic products predominates. The aim of GAS groups is to primarily develop a local economy which is both ethical and fair, providing networks of economic solidarity through social relations and economic-territorial districts. This paper sets out to determine the profiles of the consumer groups that constitute GASs in Sicily (southern Italy) in order to search for key elements of the movement in terms of both community networks and organic consumption.