Are people's daily life habits consistent with their preference for food sustainability labels?

Abstract

AbstractIdentifying the factors correlating to consumers' preference for sustainability‐labeled food products is essential for developing policies to promote the consumption of food produced in a socially responsible and environmentally friendly manner. Using a representative US consumer sample, this study systematically examines consumers' preferences for different food sustainability labels and investigates whether consumers' life habits in other domains of life are consistent with their food purchasing decisions. We find that among the four food sustainability labels included in our study, consumers have the highest marginal willingness‐to‐pay (MWTP) for United States Department of Agriculture certified organic labels, followed by the nongenetically modified organism, eco‐friendly, and fair‐trade labels. It is evident that daily activities, such as proenvironmental behaviors away from home and physical exercise in everyday life, are correlated to consumers' MWTP for sustainability‐labeled food products. This study provides implications for designing proper strategies to improve sustainable food consumption, including targeting consumers who adopt a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle, such as conducting proenvironmental activities outside home and physical exercise activities in daily life. [EconLit Citations: Q13, Q18].