Criterio lingüístico en los proyectos de cooperación internacional para el

Few attempts are made, by organic consumers to influence others to use organic food products. Consumers give only some arguments (reasons) to be used in these endeavours. For most of them they think there is no need to convince others. Consumers ranges their replies from “I do not try to convince others, I just try to offer an example” (ITA-AN-Regular-PS3, ITA-TO-Regular-PS1, ITA- TO-Regular-PS4, ITA-TO-Occasional-PS6) to “I am rather pushing” ITA-TO-Regular-PS2, ITA- TO-Occasional-PS7).

Most consumers believe that other people can be hardly convinced to buy and use organic food if they do not have a special, personal involvement towards food in general. According to respondents, food culture depends on personal pathways people undertake.

“I always try…but people are not able to get the message unless they are ready to understand …most of people just wants easy solutions…packed salad for example… they are completely immersed into the consumerism… words are not enough… a personal sensibility is necessary…to eat well, to choose well. But this sensibility can only grow with experiences…“ (ITA-AN-Regular-PS1)

“I believe that trying to convince people is not a good strategy … if I wanted to try and convince someone to purchase or eat organic food I would invite them- for a dinner and cook something really good … trying to make food attractive … It has already

happened that some friends started to buy organic food after having dinner here with me…” (ITA-TO-Regular-PS1)

“When they tasted [organic foods] at our home they liked it.. I think this is the best way to convince people ..” (ITA-TO-Regular-SS4)

Also due to this mistrust about the arguments that can be used to encourage organic consumption, organic users say “What works is the example inside the family and outside. Life experiences are also important” (ITA-AN-Regular-PS1, ITA-AN-Regular-SS3).

Offering organic food to others is recognised to be a mean to reach the aim18, but it is seldom used as tool to influence others. Some regular consumers believe that the organic choice it is a question

18

of taste and suggest to offer other consumers organic dishes/products to convince them (ITA-AN- Regular-PS6, ITA-TO-Regular-PS1, ITA-TO-Regular-PS4).

“When they taste my cookies and appreciate them I explain they are made of organic ingredients” (ITA-AN-Regular-PS6).

An occasional user also highlights this opportunity. He believes organic bread is superior in terms of taste and this is shared by those who have tried it with him:

“Nobody laughs when I say I like this organic bread, and not since it is healthier but because of the better taste...” (ITA-AN-Occasional-SP5)

Only two regular and one occasional consumer highlight the connection between organic farming and environmental protection. For one of them organic consumption is a way to conjugate her food choice with her environmental concerns

“… in order to convince someone, I would try to speak about the protection of the nature…about the future generations…health is a more abstract concept than the environment…I am not sure I will stay healthier [by eating organic food]…environment is more macroscopic. It is a big issue.” (ITA-AN-Regular-PS3)

Organic consumers do not share a common vision about the reasons to be used to encourage organic consumptions nor about the instruments to be used. They all mention health and environmental issues as motivations to support their choice, but they also say they are not used to speak with friends about their organic consumption choice

“My friends do not know the dinner I’m serving is organic” (ITA-AN-Regular-PS3).

In general, organic regular consumers, although are quite set in their organic consumption habits, seems rather tolerant towards different choices and beliefs. They think that organic choice is often a question of knowledge of good farming and production practices. But everybody has freedom of choice.

A non user (ITA-AN-NonUser-PS7) tells about some friends of her trying to encourage her first encounter with organic food. The experience was unsuccessful not only because of the bad taste and texture of the cookies but also because of the non-user prejudices (resistances).

“…organic food is a new fashion, the last one, after the yoga of some years ago, now we have organics.” (ITA-AN-NonUser-PS7)

Within the family, convincing other members does not appear a real problem. Other members do not seem to have negative attitudes towards the (organic) choices made by the decision maker (usually the wife). Husbands/partners usually show a gentle attitude towards who has made the decision (“she chooses, she is informed…I agree…” or “for me it is ok, it is the right food, nothing new…”), and in most of the cases the organic choice is a shared preference and they collaborate in finding products and solutions.

Sometimes children and adolescents are suspicious. They try to ask for a second choice but usually mothers are authoritative enough to counter persuade them or to limit their conventional choices to some special occasions (e.g. birthday parties). In any case, freedom of choice is considered important because consumers have lost the familiarity with the natural taste experience of the past. Nowadays children are used to new tastes, often based on artificial flavouring or with very light, uniform taste (like many industrial dairy products).

“Many people and children are not used to eat ricotta cheese as soon as it is made, they think the taste [of warm ricotta] is awful…or the traditional pecorino cheese…the taste of real farmer’s made pecorino is stronger than that of the one bought in a

supermarket. The taste of the sheep. Nothing is more natural than that. But people are so much getting used with such uniform tastes…” (ITA-AN-Occasional-SS9)

3.4 Conclusion: The mind-sets of regular consumers of organic food as compared with