Organic farming became one of the fastest growing sectors of U.S. agriculture during the 1990s (USDA Economic Research, 2003). The aim of this study was to explore and describe what influenced college students’ perceptions of organic foods. More specifically, to describe whether labels, brands, and prices of organic food influence students’ perceptions; to describe whether selected groups influence students’ perceptions; to describe how students perceive selected groups’ perceptions of organic food; and to determine whether there is a significant difference among students’ gender, college major, and child rearing location description to their possible influencers of organic food. The method was a survey with an N=207 with a response rate of 91%. The population consisted of undergraduate students enrolled in a Contemporary Issues class during Fall Quarter 2006 within the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences’ (FAES) at The Ohio State University.
For selected groups, respondents’ families had the most influence on students’ perceptions of organic foods; however, students viewed all the selected groups as having positive perceptions of organic food, except for politicians. For this population, television news affects perceptions more than newspapers. No significant differences were found with gender, child rearing location, and college to possible influencers of organic food perceptions.