Animal welfare information affects consumers’ hedonic and emotional responses towards milk

Abstract

This research aimed to explore the effects of animal welfare information on consumers’ hedonic and emotional responses towards milk. Two studies were conducted. For Study 1, participants (N = 101) were asked to fill out a questionnaire on attitudes towards animal welfare, in which a variety of factors including raising methods, quality of life, emotions, quality of the product, nutrition, price, and environment, were tested. For Study 2, participants (N = 63) tasted a milk sample (2% fat, standardized and homogenized) in two different conditions: [1] blind (without any previous information), and [2] informed (with information stating that the milk was obtained from a farm with an animal welfare system in place). For Study 1, participants with higher milk consumption per week showed a higher agreement with positive animal welfare statements. For Study 2, the overall liking for the milk in the informed condition was significantly higher than that of the milk in the blind condition (7.4 vs. 6.8, using a 9-point hedonic scale). Participants had higher penalizations for the milk in the blind condition as they suggested that the milk’s flavor, sweetness, aroma, and mouthfeel were not enough in the product. This research showed that animal welfare can be an important extrinsic factor in the consumers’ hedonic and emotional responses towards milk. These findings can be useful for understanding consumers’ behaviors towards animal welfare.