ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ORGANIC CHICKEN AND ITS CONSUMPTION IN SÃO PAULO CITY

Abstract

The growing demand of society for safe food that promotes health, associated with sustainable production practices, opened a spot in the market for organic farming, which is a new regulated market and meets the needs of a concerned consumers with their own health and the impact of their choices on the environment and future generations. However, part of the population is actually unaware of what organic products represent. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge about organic chicken and consumption by residents of São Paulo. It was interviewed 200 randomly chosen people, of both genders, different ages and education levels, it was submitted by questionnaire with 10 closed questions. The results showed that 43% of people had knowledge about organic chicken, and only 27.50% have consumed it, so is not well known by most respondents. It was possible to identify many aspects related to the product, often mistakenly the organic chicken was classified as healthy by 75.5% of respondents. Also it was found negative factors associated to the organic food consumption, such as the high cost of the product, which was mentioned by many of the interviewees, which still represents a major impediment in the consumer's purchasing decision, even with all the values added to the product. Further details regarding this livestock system, like showing it is environmentally friendly, socially fair and not merely without chemical residues could contribute to greater awareness of the added benefits and encourage the consumption in the internal market