Health motive and the purchase of organic food: A meta‐analytic review

Abstract There are many empirically determined influential factors known to control the organic food purchase behaviour. Of these known factors‐ health, product quality and concern for natural environmental degradation are seen as the major motives behind the organic food purchase. We, therefore, attempted to investigate the most prominent reason(s) for buying organic food, using the meta‐analyses of studies published during the last 25 years as our basis for conviction. Multilevel meta‐analyses was applied to the studies in review, in order to find the major reason(s) for the purchase of organic grocery, milk, fruits and vegetables. Although the three motivational factors mentioned above have been echoed throughout the history of organic food purchase research, the health factor has always topped the priority chart. The study in its overall empirical scale contributes to managerial implications and sets an agenda for future research.