Are beliefs stronger than taste? A field experiment on organic and local apples

Abstract

While consumers purchase organic and local foods for many reasons, taste is a key factor. Different consumers though have different beliefs about the taste of these types of foods. The goal here was to examine if those beliefs are enough for people to change their taste rating of a product simply by having an organic or local label. To determine this, field taste experiments were conducted in three locations (a university campus, a public park, and a natural foods store) to create a diverse subject pool. Participants rated the taste of five apple slices: two from the same organic apple and two from the same local apple (each with one labeled and one not), and an unlabeled conventional apple. Ratings differed significantly between the locations. Accompanying surveys gathered participants’ attitudes and beliefs about organic and local foods used in an exploratory factor analysis. Tobit regression models showed the factor representing taste to significantly increase the taste rating for both the labeled organic and local slices over their unlabeled counterparts. Groups with strong beliefs in organic and local foods also rated the taste of the respective labeled versions significantly higher. Results suggest beliefs about how organic and local foods taste can play a stronger role in taste perceptions than actual taste for certain segments of consumers.